Tengku amir shah with state public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin at an event announcing bumi the tapir as selangor’s environmental mascot in June this year. — aZman GHanI/ The star
The Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah, has grown into a suave and handsome man who is a source of pride for the state’s royal family and the people of Selangor.
The Raja Muda is also starting to mirror his father, Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, when it comes to speaking his mind and expressing his opinions.
Earlier this year, at the launch of the Petaling Land and District Office (PDT Petaling) Complex in Shah Alam, Tengku Amir Shah had asked that the needs of the people be prioritised.
“With improvements of the facilities and services provided, I believe all transactions will be expedited with a faster processing time.
“I also want the government officers and staff serving in Selangor to always be friendly and attentive towards the issues faced by the people in the state,’’ Tengku Amir Shah had said.
The Raja Muda also reminded the land office staff that it is the duty of civil servants to efficiently implement the policies formulated by the state government for the betterment of the people.
Adventurous by nature and with a love for extreme sports, Tengku Amir Shah scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania last year to raise funds for a worthy cause.The Raja Muda, along with his brother-in-law Datuk Aubry Rahim Mennesson, cousins Datuk Syed Haizam Hishamuddin Putra Jamalullail and Tengku Ezrique Ezzuddean Tengku Ardy Esfandiari, as well as friend Keong Yeen Yeoh, embarked on the journey to raise funds for establishing a speech and hearing centre for underprivileged children at the Raja Tun Uda Library.
The idea took root after Syed Haizam realised the high costs involved following his daughter’s cochlear implant surgery at the age of four.
In July, Tengku Amir Shah cycled with 12 other participants from Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Puncak Alam campus to its Shah Alam campus in conjunction with the university’s 25th anniversary.In 2022, the Raja Muda showed his assertiveness in addressing past issues that had plagued the Selangor Football Association (FAS). As its president, Tengku Amir Shah’s focus was on bringing the team to the global arena.“I want to make FAS compete for championships and trophies every year. The biggest goal is to take FAS to the international stage. That would be awesome,’’ Tengku Amir Shah has been quoted as saying.
Blind pupil Hilman shakir mohammad shahril reading a braille book to sultan sharafuddinand Tengku amir shah during the launch of the raja Tun Uda Library Foundation innovember 2023. — aZLIna abdULLaH/The star
Syed Haizam had said in a previous interview that the Raja Muda readily helmed FAS knowing how much football meant to Selangorians.
“This was the main reason why he decided to take on the responsibility to revamp and produce a football team the people would be proud of,” Syed Haizam had said.
Apart from helming Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor (YRMS) as its royal patron, Tengku Amir Shah also has his own organisation aptly dubbed the Selangor Youth Community (SAY). The Raja Muda had conceptualised SAY to reach out to the state’s youths through multi-pronged community-based programmes.
Through YRMS, which was initiated by Sultan Sharafuddin when he was the crown prince, Tengku Amir Shah’s patronage has provided many opportunities to marginalised and underprivileged youth over the years.
Some years ago, Syed Haizam, who is also a YRMS and SAY trustee, revealed how Tengku Amir Shah wanted to connect the Selangor royal institution with the state’s people.Apparently, the Raja Muda felt that people would become closer with royalty if protocol was minimised for certain events.
“So, we devised a system where the level of protocol was numbered from one to five, with five being the observance of full protocol at formal events held at the palaces,” Syed Haizam had said.Those who know the Raja Muda personally vouch for his unassuming and easygoing ways.
Tengku amir shah (second from left) holding up his insignia flag at the summit of mount Kilimanjaro inseptember 2023. With him are (from left) Tengku ezrique ezzuddean, Keong, aubry rahim and syed Haizam.
Puan Sri TD Ampikaipakan, a YRMS trustee, recalled how Tengku Amir Shah attended a self-discovery workshop organised by YRMS for Form Five students when he was 18, doing so incognito.Having been introduced as a visitor, the Raja Muda, who was addressed as Abang Amir by some of the students, had participated in the various activities alongside the other students.
“They only found out the next day that he was the Raja Muda of Selangor. They were thrilled that he was so unpretentious with them,’’ Ampikaipakan had said.Tengku Amir Shah was installed as the heir to the Selangor throne on May 3, 2002, when he was just 11, and was officially proclaimed as the Raja Muda in October 2016.
The Raja Muda was born in San Francisco, the United States, on Dec 12, 1990, and is Sultan Sharafuddin’s only son. Tengku Amir’s American mother, Che Puan Nur Lisa, and Sultan Sharafuddin divorced in 1997.
Tengku Amir received his early education at the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur before studying at Wellington College in the UK from 2004 to 2009.
Tengku amir shahand Love and carecharitable associationselangor founder Tan sriLim soon Peng of TitijayaLand bhd (on Tengku amirshah’s left) giving angpows and goodie bags tosenior citizens at achinese new year charityluncheon held in batubelah, Klang,in march this year.— aZLIna abdULLaH/The star
Tengku Amir underwent training at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in the UK and obtained a degree in Ecology and Environmental Biology from Leeds University in 2014.
The Raja Muda was also commissioned as Leftenan Muda in the 17th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment at Terendak Camp.
