Sultan Ibrahim installed as Malaysia’s 17th king
KUALA LUMPUR – 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.
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.