Late Kedah Sultan laid to rest

ALOR SETAR: The late Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah was laid to rest at the Langgar Royal Mausoleum, here, yesterday evening.

Sultan Abdul Halim, 89, passed away at Istana Anak Bukit at 2.30pm Monday after a reign of 59 years.

The sultan’s remains were earlier placed in the Dewan Penghadapan (Audience Hall) of the palace for members of the public and dignitaries to pay their last respects to the sultan between 11am and 1.30pm.

Earlier at 10.30am, Kedah Mufti Datuk Syeikh Fadzil Awang led the ‘prayers for the deceased’ at the hall.

At 2.30pm, the cortege with a special carriage bearing the remains of the sultan, left Istana Anak Bukit for the royal mausoleum.

After the burial rites ended about 4.45pm, Syeikh Fadzil and Zahir Mosque chief imam Datuk Syeikh Roslan Abdul Halim led the reading of the ‘talkin’, and then Kota Setar district religious officer Syeikh Alauddin Abu Bakar, the reciting of ‘tahlil’ and ’doa’.

Present were the newly proclaimed Sultan of Kedah, Tunku Sallehuddin Almarhum Sultan Badlishah who is Sultan Abdul Halim’s younger brother; Tunku Temenggong Kedah, Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz Sultan Abdul Halim; Tengku Bendahara Kedah, Tan Sri Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani; Tunku Laksamana Kedah, Datuk Tengku Sarafuddin Badlishah Tunku Sallehuddin; and Tunku Soraya Sultan Abdul Halim.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom; Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid; Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah and state executive councillors were also present.

Members of the public met around the royal mausoleum to witness the funeral rites expressed their sadness over the demise of Sultan Abdul Halim.

“The people of Kedah are deeply saddened by the passing of Sultan Abdul Halim whom we regarded as a highly respected sultan, a ruler with the common touch,” said Ismail Abu, 57.

“I believe Tunku Sallehuddin will follow in Almarhum’s footsteps in reigning over Kedah,” he added.

Nur Rosmah Wahab, 33, from Pendang, said she came to the Langgar Royal Mausoleum as she and her husband could not get into the palace earlier to pay their last respects as “there were just too many people”.

So, they decided to head to the mausoleum as they would feel distressed if they could not pay their last respects to their beloved sultan by being at the funeral.

The first shot of an 89-gun salute, marking the age of Sultan Abdul Halim, was fired as the cortege left Istana Anak Bukit and the last when the cortege reached the mausoleum at 4pm.