Sultan Ibrahim Inaugurated As Malaysia's 17th King, Ever Ride A Motorbike Around Johor To Share Charity

Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim. (Instagram/official Sultanibrahim)

JAKARTA - Sultan Ibrahim Ismail bin Sultan Iskandar from Johor was officially sworn in as Malaysia's 17th Agong Regulation on Wednesday, after taking an oath at the Kuala Lumpur National Palace on Wednesday.

Sultan Ibrahim (65), replacing Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who returned to lead his home state in Pahang after completing his five-year term as king.

Under the unique monarchy system, the head of nine Malaysian royal families turns to King, known as "Yang Di-Pertuan Agong" every five years.

Sultan Ibrahim rose to the throne as king amid political tensions that have reoccurred in Malaysia. The neighboring country experienced continued political turmoil since 2018, when the then-ruled National Barisan coalition was ousted from power for the first time since independence, prompting the king to play a bigger role.

The king mostly acted on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet, but was given some discretionary power based on the federal constitution, including the authority to appoint a prime minister who he believes has a majority in parliament.

Sultan Ibrahim's predecessor, Al-Sultan Abdullah, used the authority three times to resolve political uncertainty during his reign, twice after the government collapsed and finally in 2022, when he appointed Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, after experiencing a post-election deadlock.

Quoting The Guardian of The Straits Times, Sultan Ibrahim in an interview in December said he was not interested in becoming a 'doll'.

"There are 222 of you (members of parliament) in parliament. There are more than 30 million (populations) outside. I'm not with you, I'm with them," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

"I will support the government, but if I think they are doing something inappropriate, I will tell them,"

The king also has the power to forgive. In 2018, Sultan Muhammad V, one of Ibrahim's predecessors,emented Anwar Ibrahim who had served a prison sentence.

Sultan Ibrahim, who is of Malay-England descent, has six children from his marriage. He had made annual trips around Johor on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, distributing charity to the poor.

The rise of Sultan Ibrahim as the new king received a warm welcome from the Malaysian people, including among the younger generation.

"We are part of the younger generation who have never seen Sultan Johor become king, so this is a historic moment for us," said Nur Fatin Athikah Abdul Hisham (23), quoted from CNA.

Meanwhile, PNS Noor Hassan Hashim (40) said the inauguration of the new king would always be a historic event. He believes Sultan Ibrahim will face different challenges from his predecessor Sultan Abdullah, who ruled during the COVID-19 pandemic and a prolonged political crisis.

"The old king directed us during the political crisis. And I am sure the new king will now use his experience and knowledge to bring Malaysia to its next level," he said.

He also believes that King Ibrahim will be the right person to reunite Malaysia, amid tensions due to polarized political differences.

"I believe Your Majesty will make the right decision to unite all Malaysian people into one Malaysian nation," he assured.