Thursday December 14, 2006

Majestic welcome for Terengganu royals

KUALA LUMPUR: The majestic sound of the nafiri (trumpet) warmly welcomed Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and Sultanah Nur Zahirah as the royal couple arrived at Parliament Square yesterday.

The nafiri played by members of the Malaysian Defence Forces band marked the entrance of the country’s 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong at the grand official welcoming ceremony.

The King and Queen arrived at 10.30am in a tan Rolls Royce. The royals were accompanied by royal escorts and regalia bearers.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi welcomed the King and his consort, before presenting the Queen with a bouquet of flowers.

The royal couple was then escorted to the peterana (ceremonial seat) through two columns of lance bearers.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as other Cabinet members and deputy ministers and their wives.

Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib, Dewan Negara speaker Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Pawanteh and their wives were also at the event.

The King then took the royal salute.

The Royal Malay Regiment Band led by Kapt Zailani Mohd Okhtat played the Negaraku as the colours of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong were hoisted, followed by a 21-gun salute.

Then, under the shade of the Payung Ubur-Ubur Kuning (royal umbrella) Sultan Mizan inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by four officers and 103 men from the Royal Malay Regiment led by Mej Mohd Fuad Md Ghazali.

The King took another royal salute and the Negaraku was played for the second time after Federal Territory Mufti Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh led the prayers.

The royal couple later gave an audience to Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and foreign diplomats accompanied by Abdullah and Minister-in-Attendance Datuk Dr Abdullah Md Zin, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Following this, the King and Queen left for Istana Negara for the oath of office ceremony.

Bernama reported that Sultan Mizan took the oath in a ceremony steeped in tradition at Istana Negara.

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah took the oath of office as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The ceremony began at 11.50am with the Conference of Rulers.

The meeting, chaired by Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak at the Throne Room, began with a doa selamat, followed by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Engku Datuk Ibrahim Engku Ngah presenting the instrument of oath to Sultan Mizan.

The Prime Minister then read out the declaration that Sultan Mizan had been sworn in as the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong with Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

After the ceremony, Abdullah led Najib, ministers and other dignitaries for an audience with the new king.

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