KUALA LUMPUR – The billionaire sultan who regulations Malaysia’s Johor state was once sworn in as the country’s new king Wednesday under a singular rotating monarchy system.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, 65, took his oath of place of business on the palace and signed the tool of the proclamation of place of business in a rite witnessed by means of different royal households, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cabinet individuals. A coronation rite shall be held later.
One of the richest males in the rustic, Sultan Ibrahim has an intensive industry empire starting from actual property to telecoms and gear crops. The candid monarch has shut ties with Anwar and his rule may just bolster Anwar’s cohesion executive, which faces a robust Islamic opposition.
Nine ethnic Malay state rulers have taken turns as king for five-year phrases under the sector’s handiest such system since Malaysia won independence from Britain in 1957. Malaysia has 13 states however handiest 9 have royal households, some that hint their roots to centuries-old Malay kingdoms that had been unbiased states till they had been introduced in combination by means of the British.
Sultan Ibrahim’s election to the nationwide throne by means of his fellow rulers in October was once extensively anticipated in accordance with a longtime rotation order. Sultan Nazrin, the ruler of Perak state and subsequent in line to the throne, was once reelected as deputy king.
WHAT IS THE KING’S ROLE?
Known as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or He Who is Made Lord, the king performs a in large part ceremonial position, as administrative energy is vested in the top minister and Parliament. The monarch is the nominal head of the federal government and army, and is very popular as the protector of Islam and Malay custom. All regulations, Cabinet appointments and the dissolution of Parliament for basic elections require his assent. The king has the ability to proclaim an emergency and pardon criminals.
Sultan Ibrahim succeeded Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang state, who presided over a tumultuous length that incorporated COVID-19 lockdowns and political instability.
The political affect of the king has grown in contemporary years. Sultan Abdullah intervened in the previous to come to a decision who changed into top minister, together with naming Anwar as top minister after 2022 basic elections ended in a hung parliament.
Sultan Ibrahim has indicated he’s going to handle a hands-on method. He stated in a media interview closing month that he would now not need to waste 5 years at the throne as a “puppet king” however will center of attention on preventing graft and deepening cohesion in the rustic. The sultan and different rulers have additionally warned towards makes an attempt by means of the opposition to oust Anwar’s executive, calling as an alternative for political steadiness.
WHO IS SULTAN IBRAHIM?
Sultan Ibrahim, whose mom is English, could also be vocal about welfare problems and takes annual street journeys on his motorcycle to satisfy the folk in his state.
He has additionally made no secret of his wealth. Earlier Wednesday, the sultan flew from Johor to Kuala Lumpur on his non-public jet, a gold -and-blue Boeing 737. Apart from a fleet of jets, he has an intensive selection of vehicles and bikes, as neatly as homes out of the country. Sultan Ibrahim could also be the one ruler with a personal military — a situation agreed upon for the state to sign up for modern day Malaysia.
Sultan Ibrahim’s excessive company profile — together with a stake in the multibillion-dollar Forest City construction venture in Johor with China’s beleaguered developer Country Garden — has raised eyebrows amid considerations of a imaginable war of hobby. He has stated in the media interview not too long ago that he plans to restore a high-speed rail link venture with Singapore and bolster the afflicted Forest City venture.
But the sultan has defended his industry dealings. In 2015, he quipped that he has to “earn a living, like ordinary Malaysians” as he can not depend on his 27,000 ringgit ($5,700) per month state allowance.
His spouse Raja Zarith Sofiah, who’s from every other royal circle of relatives, is an Oxford graduate and a prolific author who has authored a number of kids’s books. They have 5 sons and a daughter.
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