SELANGOR RULER Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah can be very stern when there is a need for him to address certain issues. Recently, Sultan Sharafuddin voiced his displeasure after some religious school teachers and mosque officials had refused to get inoculated against Covid-19.
Through the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page, Sultan Sharafuddin expressed sadness and disappointment over their stance. The Sultan had stated, without mincing his words, that the individuals’ stubbornness would cause problems for others, especially religious school students.
The Ruler had asked for the names of the religious school teachers, mosque committee members and marriage solemnisers who had declined to be vaccinated.
That Selangor was one of the states with the highest number of Covid-19 cases also perturbed the Sultan deeply.
Besides being briefed regularly on the latest developments, Sultan Sharafuddin had also directed that the vaccination for factory workers be expedited as Selangor is an industrialised state with many factories and manufacturing plants.
Sultan Sharafuddin also constantly reminded his subjects to not let their guard down even after they had been vaccinated as it did not mean that they were now immune to Covid-19.
The Ruler also often urged the people to keep complying with the standard operating procedures set by the Health Ministry and to observe all the tenets of the new normal. The concern shown by Sultan Sharafuddin for his people’s safety is reflective of the Ruler’s caring nature.
This is also always seen when the Sultan addresses matters related to the state’s Orang Asli community. The Ruler had recently extended help by sending rice to the Orang Asli community at the Sungai Judah settlement in Pulau Carey, Kuala Langat.
During the opening of the 2009 session of the Selangor Legislative Assembly sitting, Sultan Sharafuddin had asked the state government to hasten the exercise of identifying and gazetting of Orang Asli land.
He said in his royal address that the Orang Asli community’s identity was being eroded, hence their land problems must be resolved.
“I want to stress the need to acknowledge and preserve Orang Asli land which had been seized from them in the last few years,’’ the Ruler had said.
Being a stickler for discipline and good conduct, Sultan Sharafuddin is also outspoken in his criticism of graft and had an audience with Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Datuk Seri Azam Baki a few months ago.
In his address at the Selangor Legislative assembly’s opening session this year, the Ruler highlighted that several senior civil servants in the state had been apprehended by the MACC.
The Ruler said it was regrettable there were still those who were dishonest and misused the trust given to them in their capacity as civil servants or political leaders.
“I am giving another reminder that I do not want to hear of any reports about the involvement of the state’s civil servants and political leaders in bribery.
“I have directed the MACC to carry out in-depth investigations to clear Selangor of corrupt practices,” the Ruler said at the time.
Sultan Sharafuddin also hoped those involved in graft would be brought to court and, if found guilty, punished severely to indicate the people’s rejection of bribery.The Sultan added that the corrupted had no place in society and must be dealt with.
On the excessive politicking, Sultan Sharafuddin reminded elected representatives that they should not forget their responsibilities towards the people amid such power plays.
“I cannot hide my disappointment and regret over the country’s recent serious political strife, fighting and uncertainty.
“It looks like the Ahli-Ahli Yang Berhormat (elected representatives) do not want to learn from the history of the fall of a nation due to power struggles that led to division in society,” Sultan Sharafuddin had noted in his opening address.
The Sultan is also known to speak up when there have been violations of people’s rights and privacy.
For example, he had spoken out when the privacy of a state assemblyman was violated through the circulation of some private photos in 2009. While the pictures were being shared on social media along with jeering and snide remarks, much to the discomfort of the assemblyman, Sultan Sharafuddin immediately voiced his concern.
The Ruler’s office issued a statement in which Sultan Sharafuddin said he was upset and worried over the intrusion of privacy and private rights for the purpose of destroying a person’s dignity and reputation.
The Ruler expressed sadness that private lives were being made public and subject to public scrutiny via the mass media.
The Sultan also played a pivotal role in helping Aida Melly Tan Mutalib settle her divorce in 2002. Aida Melly was unable to get a divorce from her husband for seven years as he kept appealing every petition she filed.A desperate Aida Melly wrote to Sultan Sharafuddin, who is also the head of Islam in Selangor, seeking his help to finalise her divorce.
In all his wisdom, Sultan Sharafuddin advised the court to hasten the decision-making process pertaining to Aida Melly’s divorce.
“The Sultan is a kind and compassionate Ruler. His intervention was a light at the end of a long and dark tunnel,” Aida Melly had told The Star after finally getting her divorce finalised some years ago.
Being an avid reader, Sultan Sharafuddin owns a massive collection of books on almost every topic in his palace as well as several other locations. The Ruler has also donated a large number of books to libraries.
Sultan Sharafuddin was born on Dec 24, 1945, at Istana Jemaah in Klang as Tengku Idris Shah to the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, who was the Raja Muda at the time, and his first wife Raja Saidatul Ihsan Tengku Badar Shah.
The Sultan attended the Malay Primary School in Jalan Raja Muda, Kuala Lumpur, before enrolling in St John’s Institution. The Sultan continued his schooling at the Hale School in Perth, Australia, in 1960 and later enrolled in Langhurst College in Surrey, England, in 1964.
He became a civil servant upon his return to Malaysia and served in the Selangor state secretariat, the Kuala Lumpur district office and the police department.
The Ruler became the Raja Muda of Selangor at the age of 15 in 1960 when his father was installed as the Sultan of Selangor. He ascended the throne in 2001 after Sultan Salahuddin’s demise.
Sultan Sharafuddin is married to former news presenter Norashikin Abdul Rahman, who is now styled as Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Norashikin.
On the occasion of his Majesty’s 76th birthday, the people of Selangor wish Sultan Sharafuddin good health and many more blessed years ahead. Daulat Tuanku!
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