A royal and loyal friend
FRIENDSHIP is very important to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and the Selangor Ruler holds his nearest and dearest friends very close to his heart.
One of his closest friends, Tan Sri Razman Hashim, who has known Sultan Sharafuddin for over 50 years, said the Ruler is very loyal to his friends.
“We go a long way back from the time of our youthful, naughty and cheeky years.
“I must say Tuanku is a very special person.
“He has many acquaintances but only a small group of friends and he is very loyal to them,” said Razman.
Sultan Sharafuddin, added Razman, has the knack of making anyone comfortable in his presence. “He’s a very simple person and does not like to keep people waiting.”
Razman said when Sultan Sharafuddin travels abroad, he prefers not to have anyone pick him up at the airport.
“He does not like troubling people and this is one of his traits that I truly admire,” he added.
Razman said he had been hosting Sultan Sharafuddin’s birthday party for the last 16 years when Tuanku was a bachelor and would invite close friends over to his house for a celebration.
“This year, since he is married, Tuanku will be hosting his own birthday party for his close friends and we are looking forward to that,” added Razman.
Sultan Sharafuddin is also a simple man who dislikes any kind of fuss and unless he is attending formal functions, does not like being accompanied by outriders or any entourage, revealed Razman.
Sometimes, the Sultan also drives himself around.
“I used to worry when he drives himself but he always tells me not to worry and that he will be okay,” added Razman.
Another close friend, Datuk Richard Curtis, said besides being a loyal friend, the Ruler is also discreet and proper with his friendships.
“Tuanku does not like his friendship to be taken advantage of and this sets a high benchmark,” said Curtis who first met Sultan Sharafuddin in 1958 when he (Curtis) was just six.
(His late father worked as Comptroller of the Selangor royal household and Curtis grew up spending much time in and around the Selangor palaces.)
According to Curtis, Sultan Sharafuddin has the ability to assess people and circumstances very astutely and “enjoyed private, more cerebral and engaged friendships”.
“I’ve learnt over the years to value his advice and ideas, and even if we disagree, as we do from time to time, we do not fall out as Tuanku truly respects other valid views,” said Curtis.
As an individual, said Curtis, Sultan Sharafuddin is a very determined and focused person.
Curtis narrates how Sultan Sharafuddin, when on a long distance vintage rally with him (Curtis), had “shown a dogged determination” in both planning and finishing the event well.
He said the Ruler had no hesitation over doing his share of the workload.
“I know from camping in Mongolia or repairing a broken down car in remote Tibet, that he is a true team player and well able to rough it out on his own,” said Curtis.
Curtis said Sultan Sharafuddin is also very close with members of his extended family but is closest to his three children – Tengku Zerafina, 48, Tengku Zatashah, 44, and the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah, 27.
“He is very close with his three children and this involves us both in endless but purposeful discussions and he is proud of how they have all turned out,” said Curtis.
Sultan Sharafuddin’s loyalty to a friend was also reflected when he opened the refurbished SRK Convent in Klang in 2009.
The Ruler’s close friend, the late entrepreneur Datuk Francis Huang, who was dying of terminal cancer, had dedicated the final months of his life ensuring the school was restored to its past glory.
He died in 2007.
Sultan Sharafuddin made it a point to attend the school event in 2009 and tell the guests of his friend’s dreams.
“The school is one of the landmarks of Klang. It was the dream of my good friend Francis Huang to see the school restored and repaired,” Sultan Sharafuddin said in his speech.
Sultan Sharafuddin was born Tengku Idris Shah on Dec 24, 1945, at Istana Jemaah in Klang to Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah and his first wife Raja Saidatul Ihsan Tengku Badar Shah.
He became the Raja Muda of Selangor at the age of 15 in 1960 when his father was installed as the Sultan of Selangor, and ascended the throne in 2001 after Sultan Salahuddin’s demise.
The Sultan attended the Malay Primary School in Jalan Raja Muda, Kuala Lumpur, before enrolling in St John’s Institution.
He continued his schooling at the Hale School in Perth, Australia, in 1960 and later joined the Langhurst College in Surrey, England, in 1964.
Sultan Sharafuddin became a civil servant upon his return to the country and served at the Selangor state secretariat, the Kuala Lumpur district office and the police department.
On the occasion of Sultan Sharafuddin’s 72nd birthday, we would like to wish Tuanku longevity, good health and happiness always.
Daulat Tuanku!