PETALING JAYA: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim of Johor has been sworn in as the 17th King of Malaysia.
His Majesty’s ascension to the throne will entail a five-year term as the role is based on a rotational system among the nine Malay Rulers.
Before the swearing-in ceremony yesterday, Sultan Ibrahim, who was sharply dressed in his royal blue official uniform complete with a gold-plated sabre, left Johor in a big farewell ceremony attended by his family members and palace officials.
Upon the King’s ascension to the throne, the official titles of Their Majesties will be His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, for Sultan Ibrahim; while the Queen will hold the title Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia.
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His Majesty left Istana Bukit Serene, Johor, at 7.45am accompanied by an-all female police outrider troop.
The King then boarded a private aircraft at the Royal Hangar of Senai International Airport, Johor Baru.
Raja Zarith Sofiah had earlier left Johor officially to Kuala Lumpur accompanied by Tunku Putera Johor, Tunku Abu Bakar, in preparation for the oath-taking ceremony.
Ahead of his arrival at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Air Base in Subang, members of the public gathered outside the gates to catch a glimpse of the King, who arrived at 9.40am.
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Sultan Ibrahim, 65, arrived at Istana Negara in a vintage Mercedes limousine to take the oath of office at the 264th Special Meeting of the Conference of Rulers held at the palace’s Balairung Seri (throne room).
His Majesty was greeted on arrival by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and later inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.
The King and the new Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, stood out in their uniforms among their royal peers who donned the traditional Malay royal court outfits including the tanjak, sampin and keris.
During the ceremony, the King was seated centre flanked by his royal peers at Balairung Seri witnessed by palace officials, noblemen, high-ranking civil servants as well as elected representatives.
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“With my ability, at all times, to preserve Islam and stand firmly for fair administration and peace in the country,” said Sultan Ibrahim during his oath-taking ceremony.
The ceremony also witnessed Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah taking the oath of office as the Deputy King.
Their Majesties were elected to the office, respectively, by the Malay Rulers at the 263rd Special Meeting of the Conference of Rulers in October last year to reign for a five-year term starting yesterday.
Sultan Ibrahim and Sultan Nazrin, 67, took their oath and signed the instruments of office before the other Malay Rulers from Terengganu, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Kedah; the Regents of Johor, Pahang and Perlis; and Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan; Governors of Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak; as well as dignitaries from the executive, legislative and judiciary.
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Sultan Ibrahim replaces Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang, who completed his five-year reign as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Tuesday.
After the oath-taking ceremony, Anwar read out the instrument of the proclamation, officially signifying Sultan Ibrahim’s ascension to the federal throne as the new head of state of Malaysia in accordance with the law and the Federal Constitution.
Istana Negara religious officer Datuk Munir Md Salleh recited prayers, seeking the blessings of Allah for the well-being of Their Majesties, the people and the nation.
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The appointment of Sultan Ibrahim is very much anticipated by the public as he is known for his down-to-earth and friendly approach with the people.
Johoreans had expressed hope that His Majesty would implement his Johor-based projects, such as Kembara Mahkota Johor, to get to know his subjects in other states better and expand the Bangsa Johor concept to strengthen unity among Malaysians from various backgrounds as Bangsa Malaysia.
