‘Relationships mean a lot to him’
DESPITE a hectic schedule being the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah still makes time for his friends, meeting them at least three times a month, CIMB Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tengku ZafrulAzizsaid.
Tengku Zafrul said after Al-Sultan Abdullah became the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he thought that would limit the timehecouldspendwithhisfriends. But the new king still maintained their relationship.
“He remains the same friend as before his appointment. It reflects on his personality of not forgetting his friends,” Tengku Zafrul, who is counted as one of Al-Sultan Abdullah’s closest friends, said.
Every time they met up, Al-Sultan Abdullah would, without fail, ask about his friends’ families although he might not have met them.
“His Majesty dispenses advice and often gives good ideas when having conversations with friends.
“He often asks about the issues faced by the people. His open attitude encourages friends to speak freely about everything and we often ask his view before making a decision,” Tengku Zafrul said.
He revealed that he was very nervous when he met Al-Sultan Abdullah for the first time at a Japanese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur 15 years ago.
Al-Sultan Abdullah was then the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, while Tengku Zafrul was a director of a financial services company.
The nervousness disappeared with Al-Sultan Abdullah’s cheerful disposition and warm hospitality.
Tengku Zafrul said those at the lunch meeting were also at ease with His Majesty’s friendly attitude.
“Since that meeting, we continued to communicate and started a friendship, perhaps because we share the same hobby and interest in sports.”
Tengku Zafrul, 46, often spent time together with Al-Sultan Abdullah in various sporting activities, as well as corporate social responsibility programmes.
He said Al-Sultan Abdullah wanted to spend quality time with his friends, often in the football or polo fields.
Of late, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong liked to sweat it out in squash courts.
Because of their interest in football, both Tengku Zafrul and Al-Sultan Abdullah had travelled together to watch football matches abroad.
“Last year, we were together to watch the Fifa World Cup final between France and Croatia at the Luzhniki Moscow Stadium,” he said.
Where the English Premier League was concerned, Tengku Zafrul joked that they were “enemies” as Al-Sultan Abdullah was a loyal Arsenal fan, while he was keen on Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Arunandy Subramaniam said he was proud and fortunate to be able to teach a good king.
The former mathematics teacher and hockey instructor described Al-Sultan Abdullah as a “courteous, humble and respected student”, who did not make people around him feel the existence of a “wall” of protocol or social ranking although he was the heir to the Pahang throne.
“His Majesty honours his teachers and friends. What the others do, he will do, too. He does not let anyonedoitforhim.Hewastheheadboyoftheclass at that time (in Form One).
“At that time, he would write the names of the noisy students but when he saw me, he erased the names written on the blackboard and when I asked why, he said nobody should be punished just for talking,” he said.
Al-Sultan Abdullah studied at St. Thomas Secondary School in Kuantan, Pahang, from 1970 to 1974.
Arunandy also tutored Al-Sultan Abdullah at the Teluk Sisih Palace during those years.
Arunandy, who retired in 2006, has been teaching as a contract teacher at an international school in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, since 2016.
Arunandy said his former pupil still maintained a close relationship with him.
“To this day, he diligently asks about me through WhatsApp.
“Most recently, he surprised me by coming to my school’s annual sports event. There was no protocol, just him. He came, met everyone, joked and laughed with the parents, students and teachers.
“He is still the same humble person I met when he was 13 years old.”
Arunandy said while Al-Sultan Abdullah was a quiet boy in class, he was nimbleonthefield.
“He was a quick learner, he can play all kinds of sports. After one or two tries, he can already play.
“If he wasn’t a member of the Pahang royalty, it was just possible that His Majesty could very well represent Malaysia in various sporting activities,” he said, adding that Al-Sultan Abdullah’s dexterity always saw him in an attacking position in both the school’s hockey and football teams.
Arunandy also noticed that Al-Sultan Abdullah always brought a ball with him to school and would play before going home.
“I’m not sure if he had asked the driver to take him home late so that he could play football,” he said.
After tuition, Al-Sultan Abdullah would invite Arunandy to play ping-pong with him.
He was also entrusted by Al-Sultan Abdullah’s father, Almarhum Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, to accompany the young prince to watch movies or go camping.