Agong abdicates in historic first

KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan Muhammad V abdicated as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday.

Comptroller of the Royal Household, Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said that His Majesty had officially notified the Malay Rulers on his abdication through a letter sent to the Secretary of the Conference of Rulers.

“In discharging the wishes of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V, Istana Negara hereby announces that His Majesty is abdicating as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong effective Jan 6, 2019, pursuant to Article 32 (3) of the Federal Constitution,” he said in a statement here.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan said Sultan Muhammad V also expressed his gratitude to the Malay Rulers who had elected him as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Dec 13, 2016.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Prime Minister and the government for their cooperation in governing the country.

“During his tenure as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, His Majesty had worked to fulfill his responsibilities and the trust placed in him as the head of state, serving as the pillar of stability, the source of justice and as an umbrella of the solidarity and unity of the people,” he said.

Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja also said that His Majesty, as the supreme commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, was proud of the sacrifices and devotion shown to him and the country over the years.

“His Majesty also hopes that all Malaysians will continue to stay united, tolerant and in agreement in shouldering the responsibility to safeguard the country’s sovereignty so that Malaysia will remain in peace and harmony,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan said His Majesty was ready to return to Kelantan to be together with the state government and the people for its development.

Sultan Muhammad V was installed as the 15th Yang diPertuan Agong on April 24, 2017, after taking his oath of office on Dec 13, 2016.

He was elected as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the 243rd Meeting (Special) of the Conference of Rulers in October 2016, who also voted for the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah to be the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Sultan Muhammad V succeeded the late Sultan of Kedah Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah whose term as the 14th Yang diPertuan Agong ended on Dec 12, 2016.

In Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy system, the election for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is held on a rotational basis every five years.

The abdication of Sultan Muhammad V as Malaysia’s head of state is the first in the history of the country.