TUANKU ABDUL HALIM LAID TO REST
Tunku Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah is Kedah’s 29th sultan
ADIE SURI ZULKEFLI AND EMBUN MAJID KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my
“ALLAH selamatkan Sultan Mahkota, berpanjangan usia di atas Takhta. Memelihara agama Nabi kita. Negeri Kedah serata-rata.”
Above are the lyrics of Kedah state anthem. With just four lines, normally it does not take long to be played.
However, the song was played at the slowest tempo by the military brass band yesterday.
Those present at the Istana Anak Bukit compound sunk into sorrow as the state anthem was played to accompany a royal hearse, that carried the coffin of Almarhum Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah for his 11km journey to the Kedah Royal Mausoleum in Jalan Langgar here.
An 89-gun salute, symbolising the sultan’s age, was fired as the hearse left the palace.
For almost six decades, Kedahans have been singing the state anthem at official events attended by Sultan Abdul Halim and yesterday, but yesterday the song accompanied the final departure of the 28th sultan of Kedah from the palace.
Kedahans, who are in shock and saddened by the passing of their sultan on Monday, began gathering outside the palace since 8am despite the time for members of the public to pay their last respects was meant to start at 11am.
By noon, more than 10,000 mourners from had thronged the palace to bid farewell to the late ruler.
The royal funeral was steeped in tradition, beginning with a 21gun salute, fired at 7am to mark the sultan’s passing.
It was followed by royal bersiram (bathing) and kafan ceremonies, before the sultan’s body
was taken for funeral prayers led by Kedah Mufti Datuk Syeikh Fadhil Awang.
The prayers were carried out several times following an overwhelming number of Kedahan Muslims, who arrived to take part in the ritual.
Kedah-born comedian Mazlan Ahmad, or popularly known as Lan Pet Pet, who just returned from performing the haj in Mecca, drove from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Kedah after hearing the news of the sultan’s death.
Mazlan said he was planning to seek an audience with Sultan Abdul Halim after he came back from Mecca.
“I often met Tuanku (Sultan Abdul Halim) in person, and even before I got married, I sought an audience with him to get his blessings.
“The last time I met him was last year when he was the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“He was not only a ruler, but he was also a teacher and a father figure to me. Kedah has lost such a great ruler who always looked after the welfare of the rakyat,” said Mazlan, who arrived at the palace about 8am.
Siti Asa Ismail, a 56-year-old housewife, said she could not believe when she heard about the passing of the sultan from her daughter about 4pm yesterday and asked her to verify the news, which went viral on social media.
Teachers Tew Siuw Ling and Lee Guik See, in their 50s, were planning to attend the sultan’s Aidilfitri open house next year to meet the Kedah royalty.
“We never had a chance to do so due to our hectic schedule, and the both of us were looking forward to the visit next year. Now, we will never have a chance to meet him,” said Tew.
At noon, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V led dignitaries to pay their last respects.
Present was Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi, who represented Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is on a state visit to the United States.
At the Kedah Royal Mausoleum, a sombre atmosphere enveloped as the hearse led by a group of 55 men carrying Kedah royal symbols arrived about 4pm.
Sultan Abdul Halim was laid to rest next to the grave of his first wife, the late Sultanah Bahiyah, who passed away in August 2003.
The ceremony was witnessed by Sultan Abdul Halim’s consort, Sultanah Haminah Hamidun, and his younger brother, Tunku Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, who was proclaimed as his successor, accompanied by the new sultan’s wife, Puan Sri Tengku Maliha Tengku Ariff and Kedah royal family members.
Sultan Abdul Halim’s daughter, Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Sultan Abdul Halim, who sat behind Tunku Sallehuddin, was sorrowful throughout the funeral.
Also present were Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Baharom.
The funeral ceremony began at 4.28pm when the coffin was lowered into the grave by members of the armed forces.
The talkin (funeral recital) was led by Kedah Mufti Datuk Syeikh Fadzil Awang.
Tunku Sallehuddin led the royal families to pour fragrant water and place flowers on Sultan Abdul Halim’s grave, followed by Tengku Maliha and Sultanah Haminah.
Some 200 people gathered outside the Kedah Royal Mausoleum to watch the ceremony.
Zairon Zakaria, 43, who came from Padang Serai said she came to pay her last respects to the sultan at the palace at 11am.
Although not allowed to attend the funeral, Zairon was satisfied to be able to observe the funeral outside the Kedah Royal Mausoleum.
Sultan Abdul Halim was born on Nov 28, 1927, at Istana Anak Bukit.
He was installed as the sultan of Kedah in 1958 and the oldest surviving son of the 27th sultan of Kedah, the late Sultan Badlishah Sultan Abdul Hamid.
He made history as the first sultan to become the Yang diPertuan Agong twice. Additional reporting by Ili Shazwani