Sultan had illustrious life

PETALING JAYA: Sultan of Kedah Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Sultan Badlishah was the first Ruler to reign as Yang di-Pertuan Agong twice, as well as the oldest elected to the office.

Born on Nov 28, 1927, Sultan Abdul Halim served as the fifth and 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1970 to 1975 and from 2011 to 2016 respectively.

His reign as Sultan of Kedah began in 1958, making him the second longest-reigning monarch in the world and the second-oldest after Queen Elizabeth II.

During his first term as Agong, he presided over the change in leadership of the federal government when his uncle, prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, resigned in favour of his deputy Tun Abdul Razak.

Sultan Abdul Halim was officially installed as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on April 11, 2012 at Istana Negara, and his tenure ended on Dec 12, 2016.

Besides local honours, he was bestowed various prestigious foreign awards for his contributions to the international community.

These include the Grand Cordon of The Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, Bintang Maha Putra Adipradana (Indonesia), Order of the Rammata Thailand, Honourable Knight Grand Cross Order of the Bath of the United Kingdom, Assoc Knight Order of St John, Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum and Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan), Collar of the Order of Charles III (Spain) and Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand).

A number of public structures and buildings in Malaysia are also named after him.

These include a highway in Alor Star, ferry terminal in Penang, a hospital and teachers’ training institute in Sungai Petani, a school in Jitra, Kedah and the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge, also known as the Penang Second Bridge.

One of Kuala Lumpur’s main roads, that was previously known as Jalan Duta, was renamed Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on Nov 26, 2014.