Flag of the ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' of Malaysia
'''Yang di-Pertuan Agong''', a
Malay title usually translated as '''"Supreme Ruler"''' or '''"Paramount Ruler"''', is the official title of the constitutional
head of state of the federation of
Malaysia. The position is often categorized as "
King" in English, since from a Western
political science perspective, Malaysia is a
constitutional monarchy with a
monarch as head of state. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is one of the few
elected monarchs in the world.
Since 1993, the full title in Malay has been, ''Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong.'' Prior to that the honorific ''Ke Bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia'' was also used.
The consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is called the ''Raja Permaisuri Agong''. They are referred to in
English as "His Majesty" and "Her Majesty".
The official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is
Istana Negara (the 'National Palace') located in Jalan Syed Putra in the federal capital
Kuala Lumpur. There are also other residences, such as
Istana Melawati in the federal administrative capital
Putrajaya which is the royal retreat or 'istana hinggap' for ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' and his family, as well as being the venue of meetings of the
Conference of Rulers (Malay: ''Majlis Raja-raja''), which elects the ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong''.
The role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is largely ceremonial in Malaysia's
constitutional monarchy. The constitution specifies that executive power, theoretically vested in the head of state, is exercised by (or on the advice of) the
Cabinet which is headed by the
Prime Minister, who is responsible to Parliament.
The 13th and current ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' is
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, the Sultan of
Terengganu. His reign began on
13 December 2006 after his election by the Conference of Rulers. He was formally enthroned on
April 26,
2007.
[1]
Election of Yang di-Pertuan Agong
A system of
elective monarchy is rare and some of the few extant cases in a sovereign state are: the President elected by the Emirs of the
UAE (where in fact the same member state always supplied the monarch, as the Austrian archducal Habsburg did for centuries in the Holy Roman Empire; the second-most influential UAE state gets the position of Prime Minister); the
Vatican City, where the
Pope is elected by the College of Cardinals; and
Andorra, one of whose two monarchs is the democratically-elected
President of France.
In a feature unique to the Malaysian monarchy, the position is de facto rotated every five years between the nine Rulers of the
Malay states. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is formally elected by and from among the nine Rulers, who form the Conference of Rulers. The selection of the ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' initially followed an order based on the seniority (calculated by length of reign) of each Ruler drawn up at the then
Malaya's independence from the UK in 1957. The original order has at times been varied by the Council of Rulers, which can vote to disqualify a candidate. Minors are automatically disqualified. After all nine Rulers of the states had served as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the order of seniority is based on the order of the states whose rulers have been elected as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Replicas of the early thrones of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his consort, the Raja Permaisuri Agong, National History Museum, Kuala Lumpur
In the event that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dies, an election will be held as if the previous term has expired. The new Yang di-Pertuan Agong will hold the office for a full term. After his term expires, an election will be held and he may not be reelected.
The
Conference of Rulers has met regularly since 1895. The membership of the council includes the governors or ''Yang di-Pertua Negeri'', but only royal rulers are allowed to vote and stand for election as ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong''.
Qualifications
★ Only a Ruler may be elected.
★ Only the Rulers may vote.
★ Rulers are elected in turns.
The Constitution provides that a Ruler is not eligible for election as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong if:
★ The Ruler is a minor.
★ The Ruler has notified the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal that he does not wish to be elected.
★ The Conference of Rulers by a secret ballot resolves that the Ruler is unsuitable by reason of infirmity of mind or body or for any other cause to exercise the functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The resolution shall only be carried if at least five members of the Conference have voted in favour of it.
Election proceedings
The election is carried out by a secret ballot. The ballot papers used are not numbered, but marked with the same pen and ink, and are inserted into a ballot box. Only the Rulers, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal and the Assistant Secretary of the Conference of Rulers are involved in the election proceedings.
A Ruler may appoint another Ruler as his proxy to vote on his behalf in the event that he is unable to be present at the Election Meeting.
During the process of the election, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal will distribute the ballot papers with only one candidate (the most senior Ruler), and each Ruler will be requested to indicate whether the most senior Ruler is suitable or not to be elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The most junior Ruler who is not listed as nominee for the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is appointed to count the ballot papers together with the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal.
The nominee must have obtained the majority of five votes before the Ruler presiding over the Election Meeting offers the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to him. If the successful nominee declines the offer or the Ruler fails to secure the required majority votes, the voting process will be repeated with the nomination of the second most senior Ruler in the Seniority List of Rulers.
The process will only be completed after the Ruler has accepted the offer of the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The Conference will then declare the Ruler as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who will hold office for a term of five years. The ballot papers will be destroyed in the presence of the Rulers as soon as the result of the election result is announced.
On taking office as ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'', the ruler appoints a
regent for the state of which he is the ruler, usually, but not always, a close relative, for the duration of his 5-year term.
Order of seniority of states
After the first cycle of nine ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' (1957–1994), the order among the eligible, all peninsular, state rulers has followed the order established by that cycle, namely:
# the ''Yang di-Pertuan Besar'' of
Negeri Sembilan (itself an elective monarchy)
# the Sultan of
Selangor
# the Raja of
Perlis
# the Sultan of
Terengganu
# the Sultan of
Kedah
# the Sultan of
Kelantan
# the Sultan of
Pahang
# the Sultan of
Johor
# the Sultan of
Perak
Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong
A 'Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong' (Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong) is also elected in the same process immediately after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected. The purpose of having a Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong is to exercise the functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong during the king’s absence or inability to exercise his functions owing to illness or infirmity.
The Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong does not automatically become the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong when a vacancy occurs in the office. The Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong acts as the head of state before the election of the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Roles
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's role is that of a
constitutional monarch under the Constitution of Malaysia. As the Federal Head of State the extent and limitation of his powers are outlined by the Federal Constitution and Parliamentary Acts made in accordance with it.The monarch's powers are basically divided into two broad categories:
★ the powers that he exercises on the advice of the Prime Minister, a Minister, the Cabinet, the Conference of Rulers or some other officer or institution; and
★ the powers that he exercises at his discretion (without the consent of any other authority).
The discretionary powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong mainly pertain to the Prime Minister's appointment, the dissolution of Parliament, and meetings of the
Conference of Rulers "concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses". Under the Westminster System, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is expected to appoint a Prime Minister who will command the confidence of a majority of the elected lower house of Parliament, the ''
Dewan Rakyat''; should the Prime Minister be unacceptable, he may be forced out by a
vote of no confidence, which would force the King to appoint someone else. Conventionally, the Prime Minister is the head of the party with a majority in Parliament, which has been the
Barisan Nasional (National Front, formerly known as the Alliance) since independence in 1957.
A Prime Minister's appointment is renewed after every general election until he decides to step down. A general election is called whenever the Prime Minister chooses to dissolve Parliament; however, only the lower house is elected by popular vote, while the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints 44 members of the upper house, the ''
Dewan Negara''; the other members of this house, also known as Senators, are indirectly elected, as they are selected by the various state assemblies. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may choose to refuse a request to dissolve Parliament, as this is one of his discretionary powers.
History
In August 1957, having rejected the suggested title of ''Yang di-Pertuan Besar'' in favour of ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'', the Council of Rulers met to vote the first occupant of the throne. By seniority, Major-General
Sultan Ibrahim (Sultan of Johor), having succeeded as sultan in 1895, was the most senior, but he declined election due to old age (he was then 84).
The next in line,
Sultan Abu Bakar (Sultan of Pahang), who succeeded in 1932, also declined nomination. The next most senior Ruler,
Tuanku Abdul Rahman of
Negeri Sembilan, having succeeded to his state throne in 1933, was accordingly elected.
Those present at the first election were:
#
Sultan Abu Bakar Riayatuddin Al-Muadzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdullah Al-Mutassim Billah Shah (Sultan of Pahang; 1932–1974)
# Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad (Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan; 1933–1960)
# Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (Sultan of Selangor; 1938–1942, 1945–1960)
# Sultan Badlishah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah (Sultan of Kedah; 1943–1958)
# Sultan Ibrahim Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV (Al-Sultan of Kelantan; 1944–1960)
# Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail (Raja of Perlis; 1945–2000)
# Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Zainal Abidin III (Sultan of Terengganu; 1945–1979)
# Sultan Yusuf Izzudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil Nasruddin shah (Sultan of Perak; 1948–1963)
# Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim (Crown Prince or Tunku Mahkota of Johor; later Sultan 1959–1981)
List of Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The following Rulers have served as ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'':
| No. | Name | State | Reign | Birth | Death |
|---|
| 1 | Tuanku Abdul Rahman | Negeri Sembilan | August 31, 1957 – April 1, 1960 | August 24, 1895 | April 1, 1960 |
| 2 | Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah | Selangor | April 14, 1960 – September 1, 1960 | May 13, 1898 | September 1, 1960 |
| 3 | Tuanku Syed Putra | Perlis | September 21, 1960 – September 20, 1965 | November 25, 1920 | April 16, 2000 |
| 4 | Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah | Terengganu | September 21, 1965 – September 20, 1970 | 1906 or 1907 | September 20, 1979 |
| 5 | Tuanku Abdul Halim | Kedah | September 21, 1970 – September 20, 1975 | November 28, 1927 | |
| 6 | Yahya Petra | Kelantan | September 21, 1975 – March 29, 1979 | December 10, 1917 | March 29, 1979 |
| 7 | Ahmad Shah Al-Mustain Billah | Pahang | March 29, 1979 – April 25, 1984 | October 24, 1930 | |
| 8 | Iskandar | Johor | April 26, 1984 – April 25, 1989 | April 8, 1932 | |
| 9 | Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah | Perak | April 26, 1989 – April 25,1994 | April 19, 1928 | |
| 10 | Jaafar | Negeri Sembilan | April 26, 1994 – April 25, 1999 | July 19, 1922 | |
| 11 | Salahuddin Abdul Aziz | Selangor | April 26, 1999 – November 21, 2001 | March 8, 1926 | November 21, 2001 |
| 12 | Syed Sirajuddin | Perlis | December 13, 2001 – December 12, 2006 | May 17,1943 | |
| 13 | Mizan Zainal Abidin | Terengganu | April 26, 2007– | January 22,1962 | |
See also
★
Royal Regalia of Malaysia
★
Yang di-Pertuan Negara
★
Malay titles
★
Elective monarchy
★
Raja Permaisuri Agong
References
1. ''Malaysia's new king takes office'', BBC, Thursday, 26 April 2007, 09:00 GMT 10:00 UK
External links
★
Malaysian Parliament's Yang diPertuan Agong page.
★
Malaysia National Library's Yang di-Pertuan Agong page.
★
WorldStatesmen
★
10 Students Awarded The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Scholarship 2006
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