Malaysia all set for installation of 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong

Sultan Abdullah and Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysians are all ready to witness on Tuesday another historic ceremony that usually takes place every five years – the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Al Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang will be installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara in a ceremony unique to Malaysia, but that draws the attention of the world, Bernama news agency reported.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong or King is elected for a five-year term from among the nine Malay Rulers, on a rotational basis agreed upon by the rulers themselves. These are the rulers of Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Sultan Abdullah will set in motion the second round of the rotational system that has been in practice since independence in 1957. He succeeds Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan who stepped down as the head of state on January 6.

Sultan Abdullah was proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang on January 15, succeeding his father, the late Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah.

He was elected as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong at a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers on January 24 and was sworn in on January 31.

The installation will have another historical significance because Sultan Abdullah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, are the children of sultans who have been elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Sultan Abdullah is the eldest son of the late Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Al Musta’in Billah of Pahang, who was the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1979-1984), while Azizah is the third daughter of the late Sultan Iskandar of Johor, the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1984-1989).

Of historical significance is also the role of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was also the prime minister who proclaimed Sultan Ahmad Shah and Sultan Iskandar as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the respective ceremonies then.

Various preparations have been meticulously made ahead of the installation to ensure a smooth ceremony.

Banners and bunting were strung along the roads leading to the entrance of Istana Negara, among them Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, Jalan Semantan, Jalan Cangkat Semantan and Jalan Sri Hartamas. The banners feature the portraits of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong.

Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and other local television stations are scheduled to carry the installation ceremony live from 9 am.

The government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday to enable the people throughout the country to watch the ceremony that will be steeped in the tradition and splendour of the Malay Sultanate.

One of those who will be watching is housewife Junaidah Kamal, 50.

“I am really excited to watch the ceremony. I will make sure that my children wake up early on Tuesday to watch this historic and important event. They will learn about the history and uniqueness of Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy,” she told Bernama.