King pays last respects to late Kedah Sultan
ALOR SETAR: The Yang diPertuan Agong, Sultan Muhamad V, paid his last respects yesterday to the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, who passed away on Monday.
His Majesty arrived at 12.40 pm at Dewan Penghadapan at Istana Anak Bukit where the lying-in-state was held. The King was accompanied by the Tunku Bendahara of Kedah, Tunku Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Thani.
Sultan Abdul Halim passed away at Istana Anak Bukit at 2.30 pm on Monday at the age of 89 after a reign of 59 years.
Several other members of the royalty also paid their last respects. They included the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin; and the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, and the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also paid his last respects to the late sultan.
The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir; the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Tunku Ibrahim; and several members of the Johor royal household; the Raja Dihilir of Perak, Raja Datuk Seri Diraja Tan Sri Iskandar Dzulkarnain Almarhum Sultan Idris A’fifullah; the Raja Puan Muda of Perak, Datuk Seri Diraja Tan Sri Tunku Soraya Sultan Abdul Halim; and the Regent of Pahang, Tengku Mahkota Abdullah Al-haj Ibni Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al Musta’in Billah Shah; also paid their last respects.
Among the Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers who paid their last respects were Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein; Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid; Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam; Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Baharum and Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Othman Aziz.
Other dignitaries who paid their last respects included former prime ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi; Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron; Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali; former Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.