PALACE STAFF WILL MISS LATE SULTAN

They share stories of late ruler’s kindness and compassion

DIE SURI ZULKEFLI AND EMBUN MAJID ALOR STAR news@nst.com.my

ISTANA Anak Bukit butler Md Zakhi Yahaya, 56, will miss preparing rice with ikan masin or ikan pekasam (salted fish) with rice for the late Sultan of Kedah Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah.

Md Zakhi, who had been serving at the Kedah palace for two decades, said the sultan had a simple taste in food.

“Almarhum was never fussy about food and among his favourite meals were rice with curry, ikan masin or ikan pekasam,” he said.

Sultan Abdul Halim passed away peacefully at the palace about 2.30pm on Monday.

Md Zakhi said the late sultan always prioritised the wellbeing of palace staff and would never hesitate to help them with their needs.

Another butler, Ahmad Zariff Zakaria, 31, who had served at the palace for eight years, said Sultan Abdul Halim was truly a “people’s ruler”, adding that the late sultan always showed kindness and compassion towards his subjects.

“I followed Almarhum when he ruled as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the second time from to 2011 to the end of last year.

“Throughout the five years at Istana Negara, Almarhum was the same kind, soft-spoken and caring ruler that I knew, despite ruling as the King,” he said.

The palace’s Datuk Bentara Setia Datuk Arfanuddin Hussain, 74, said palace staff had many fond memories of Sultan Abdul Halim.

“As the chairman of the Penghulu association, I met him on many occasions to discuss issues in the state.

“He always made an effort to fulfil invitations to functions involving his subjects, especially school sports days and academic excellence awards,” said Arfanuddin, who had served Sultan Abdul Halim for 30 years.

Kedah Rugby Club president Tan Sri Abd Halim Karim said the late sultan always placed the needs of the rakyat first.

The businessman and alumni of Sultan Abdul Hamid College, where Sultan Abdul Halim had studied, said the late sultan was a prudent spender.

Istana Anak Bukit mini zoo caretaker Zahari Ibrahim, 61, said besides being a caring employer, the late sultan Kedah was also an animal lover.

He said Sultan Abdul Halim would visit the mini zoo twice a day to feed the animals himself.

Among the animals kept at the mini zoo are cats, parrots, hornbills, arapaima fishes, sheep, horses and more.

He said among the animals, the sultan loved a hornbill named “Johnny” and four arapaima fishes the most.

“There used to be five arapaima fishes in the aquarium but one of them died two years ago. The sultan was very upset by its death,” he said.

Another caretaker at the zoo, Ayub Abdul, 53, said the late sultan also had six Persian cats and loved two named “Tomoi” and “Ref ” the most.

“We are sad about the sultan’s passing. Almarhum taught us to not only care for other human beings but also animals. We will keep the Almarhum’s spirit alive.” Additional reporting by Ili Shazwani and Zuliaty Zulkiffli