A beloved father & Ruler of 'irreversible' criminal account - Johor's SULTAN IBRAHIM at 60
On his 60th Birthday in November last year, the powerful Sultan of Malaysia's state of Johor named his 1-year-old grandson as second-in-line to the throne. A royal audience, a tea party & other semi-official celebratory events took place to mark the jubilee of one of the nation's most popular monarchs, a wealthy, influential & down-to-the-earth leader. Nonetheless anumber of misconductions from his side and unofficially noted criminal incidents which sparkled nationwide outrage (and reportedly had him involved), was all but remembered at these festivities.
Istana Besar, Johor Bahru, Johor Sultanate (Malaysia)
The main celebration took place on the actual Jubilee day, Thursday 22 November 2018, at throne hall of Istana Besar (or Grand Palace) in Sultanate's capital, Johor Bahru. 62 people received state honours from the Sultan, in conjunction of his birthday (an annual tradition across Malay monarchies), with the Chief Minister (Menteri Besar) of state first in list, granted a honorary award of Johor's crown (Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia Pangkat Pertama Dato’ Sri Paduka Mahkota Johor), carrying the title of Dato (of ninth & tenth-ranked federal awards). Usually Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar officially celebrates his birthday on March 13 (the anniversary of his coronation). However in 2018 celebrations were postponed due to pending (14th) national elections and the fatal illness of his mother (who passed away on June 1). Sultan Ibrahim agreed semi-state celebrations to be held, though not to expand to a district-level & without a public holiday.
Family of Tunku Mahkota of Johor with baby Raja Muda on his mother's hands
During the ceremony, attended by the entire Johor royal family - but held behind close doors -, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar announced the appointment of his young grandson, the (then-)13-month-old Tunku Iskandar Abdul Jalil Abu Bakar Ibrahim Ibni Tunku Ismail as Raja Muda of Johor. Here this title is used for the second-in-line to the throne, while in other Malay states (eg: Kedah), the Heir apparent is referred as such. Tunku Iskandar is the second child & only son of Tunku Mahkota (=heir to the throne) Tunku Ismail Idris Ibni Sultan Ibrahim Ismail and his wife, Che' PuanKhaleeda Bustamam. The announcement was made during the Sultan's speech, in which he also advised the state government to prioritize in the development of state & the people's wellbeing, despite last year's historic (national) change of political leadership. He also urged the state's Executive Council (exco) members to put their personal interests aside, and cooperate with Menteri Besar as a team, reminding them his authority to replace them if they not carry out their duties satisfactory. The ceremony also included a religious blessing & allegiance pledging to the Sultan (by members of his family & senior officials), apart from the abovementioned investitures.
Another, more public event in conjunction with Sultan Ibrahim's 60th birthday celebrations, took place Saturday, November 24 (2018). It was a tea reception/party, held that afternoon (at 3pm) at the Hockey Stadium (Dataran Penggaram) of Batu Pahat town. The Sultan was accompanied by his consort, Permaisuri RajaZarith Sofiah, some of their children and the Menteri Besar (Datuk Osman Sapian) as well. Sultan Ibrahim saw the (presented) 26 birthday cakes, cut one of them, and also launched three recently published books related to him. The event was attended by (around) 10,000 people, entertained by a local group of state legacy preservation & popular singers, and with various foods served. Accodrding to the Royal Council announcement, the Ruler wished to host such tea parties in different areas each year, so he could easily mingle with his subjects. That Saturday morning, just before reception, Ibrahim tried to ride a new classical motor bike, presented him on his birthday.
Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj was born on November 22, 1958. He is the elder son of Johor's late Sultan Iskandar (1932-2010) & (his first wife) Enche Besar Hajah Khalsom binti Abdullah (née Josephine Ruby Trevorrow; 1935-2018), an English lady from Torquay. Ibrahim was born during the reign of his great-grandfather (& namesake) who died in 1959. His grandfather succeeded as Sultan Ismail & Ibrahim became second-in-line to the throne. Tunku Ibrahim Ismail (as he was then known) completed his secondary education at an Anglican school in Australia, and received his military training firstly in Johor (Malaysia) and secondary at two US Forts (in Georgia & North Carolina). Ibrahim was appointed Tunku Mahkota ('Crown Prince') of Johor in 1981, after his father (known until then as Tunku Mahmud Iskandar) succeeded the throne. When Sultan Iskandar was elected as the 8th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Federal King/Head of State) of Malaysia (between 1984 and 1989) Ibrahim Ismail acted as Regent. He married to Raja Zarith Sofiah, daughter of the late Sultan Idris (II) Iskandar Shah of Perak, in September 1982. Together they have six children, five sons (the middle of whom died of liver cancer in 2015) & a daughter; through their elder son, Ismail Idris, they are blessed with two grandchildren. Ibrahim was also reportedly previously married (from 1980) to Vivien Theresa Johnson before they divorsed in 1982. In 2000s he begun to take over more of his aging father's royal duties. On January 22, 2010, when Sultan Iskandar's condition worsened, Tunku Ibrahim was proclaimed once again Regent of Johor. Iskandar died the same night, and Ibrahim succeeded him the next morning (January 23), as the state's 25th (& 5th modern) Sultan. He was crowned in a lavish (british-style) coronation on March 23, 2015. The last such was that of his grandfather in 1960 (as Sultan Iskandar was never crowned).
Coronation portrait (2015) of Sultan Ibrahim his wife, (all) children & mother.
Kembara Mahkota Johor
Sultan Ibrahim Ismail is well known as a motorcycle enthusiast. He has founded the Kembara Mahkota Johor, an annual royal motorcycle tour program, in which the Royal family travels throughout the entire Sultanate, visiting fellow people in various districts and providing charity towards the pour. A constitutional monarch, but meaningful figurehead, the Sultan has notably resisted to the Arabisation of Malay muslim culture, being the same time concerned for a high quality education of his subjects (although he is the only current Malay Ruler without a tertially education). He also showed his conservatism by returning to some of his state's districts their original names (eg: Kulaijaya was reverted to Kulai district), while trying to reaffirm his Sultanate's close ties with Islamic doctrine, he transfered the weekend from Saturday/Sunday to Friday/Saturday (inspite some disruptions, caused in the private sector). Being himself a strong business dealer, Sultan Ibrahim has extended his own financial allowance (of RM 27,000 per-month) through major venture investments to companies of various themes, including power plant and property development (in his state). Among his other major decisions as Sultan are the separation of Johor's royal from the state capital Johor Bahru (with the first being transfered to the town of Muar), and bans on e-cigarettes & oversised signboards (exceeding 6.1m x 1.2 m) as well. Furthermore the Sultan of Johor holds the ranks of Collonel-in-Chief of (Malaysian Army's) Grup Gerak Khas (responsible for special warfare operations) and Commandant (Major General) of Royal Johor Military Force (the only sole state's independent defence forces in Malaysia).
Sultan Iskandar (1932-2010) in early 2000s
Ibrahim Ismail is seen as a genuine carrying ruler, close to the people and dedicated to his state & nation. This, however, does not annul his large criminal account, deliberately avoided from the public view for decades. His reputation - as well as his father's & brother's - has been tarnished for decades, with accusations of murder and physical, or verbal assault in numerous cases since the 1980s, causing a major outpouring of outrage by the media, while his lavish spendings for collections of cars & motorcycles have been overshadowed in the 2000s by the worth of his unpaid traffic fines (almost the same as his annual allowance). Moreover, a series of assaults (known as the Gomez incident), where the then Sultan of Johor (& his second son) were allegedly involved, brought out parliament discussions, which led to the amendment of national constitution, stripping Malay royal families from their immunity from the consequences of law's infringement (granted them in 1948). Traditionally, Malay rulers are yet considered to be 'above the law', preserving national unity, protecting Islam and heading major posts in army. Their opinion was always influential and until the amendments of 1993 they were powerful enough to influence directions of national politics. However their wrongdoings usually not mentioned in official sources and reports, are still covered up by actions of charity and public welfare. Thus both (the late) Sultan Iskandar (who initially protested the amendments) and Sultan Ibrahim desperately tried to save their reputations ever since their impunity was abolished (though they were not charged, such as at the time of their criminal actions they were still could not be procecuted).
As of 2019 Sultan Ibrahim is the next in line to become Malaysia's Yang di-Pertuan Agong (ceremonial Head of state, selected among the Rulers for a five-year-term and considered as King), according to the traditional order of states seniority (followed in the first YDP Agong's exchange). Although usually a Ruler "next in line" of rotation serves as the Deputy YDP Agong, Ibrahim refused his candidacy both in this year's & the previous election of head of state (& his deputy). In 2016, he cited his respect towards the rotation line (and thus didn't want to be elected as King before the next time for his state comes). The current Raja Permaisuri Agong (/Head of State's (Queen) consort), Tengku Ampuan Azizah of Pahang is his younger sister. An eccentric state ruler, with his Sultanate following a separate constitution (similar of Malaysian & extensively British) and having an independent royal court (the only one among the nine Malay constituent monarchies), Sultan Ibrahim ordered in September 2017 that in english he should be styled: His Majesty, instead of His Royal Highness (that title of other subterritorial monarchs who haven't served as Kings is translated).
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου