Sultan Ibrahim of Johor state installed as Malaysia's 17th king
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[January 31, 2024]
By Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia's Sultan Ibrahim from the southern
state of Johor was installed as the country's 17th king on Wednesday,
taking the oath of office in a ceremony at the national palace in Kuala
Lumpur.
The monarchy plays a mostly ceremonial role in Malaysia, but its
influence has grown in recent years, prompting the king to wield
rarely-used discretionary powers to quell political instability.
Under a unique system of monarchy, the heads of Malaysia's nine royal
families take turns to be the King, known as the "Yang di-Pertuan Agong"
every five years.
Sultan Ibrahim, 65, succeeds Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who
is returning to lead his home state of Pahang after completing his
five-year tenure as king.
While the monarchy is largely seen as above politics, Sultan Ibrahim has
been noted for his forthrightness and outsized personality, often
weighing in on the country's political issues.
Known for his large collection of luxury cars and motorbikes, Sultan
Ibrahim has wide-ranging business interests from real estate to mining,
including a stake in Forest City - a $100-billion China-backed land
reclamation and development project off Johor.
Ahead of his installation, Sultan Ibrahim told Singapore's The Straits
Times newspaper he intends to be an active monarch and proposed that
Malaysia's state oil firm Petroliam Nasional and the country's
anti-corruption agency to report directly to the king.
He also spoke of his plans to revive a stalled high-speed rail link
project between Malaysia and Singapore, with a border crossing through
Forest City.
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The incoming 17th King of Malaysia, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan
Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar salutes the guard of honour at the National
Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia January 31, 2024. REUTERS/Hasnoor
Hussain/Pool
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim later downplayed the statements, saying
all opinions can be discussed without disregarding the federal
constitution, state media reported.
Sultan Ibrahim takes on his duties as king amid renewed political
tensions in Malaysia.
The country has seen ongoing political turmoil since 2018 when the
then-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was ousted from power for the
first time since independence, prompting the monarch to play a
greater role.
The king largely acts upon the advice of the prime minister and the
cabinet but is granted a few discretionary powers under the federal
constitution, including the authority to appoint a premier he
believes commands a parliamentary majority.
Sultan Ibrahim's predecessor, Al-Sultan Abdullah, exercised such
power three times to resolve political uncertainty during his reign,
twice after governments collapsed and the latest in 2022, when he
appointed Anwar following an election that ended in a hung
parliament.
Before stepping down from the throne, Al-Sultan Abdullah called for
political stability, responding to media reports this month of an
alleged plot to topple the government. Several opposition and ruling
bloc leaders have denied being part of the plot.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar; Editing by Martin
Petty and Christian Schmollinger)
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