Johor council of royal court president Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Ramli
BACK in 1993, then Johor state secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Ramli was pressured into leaving his job during a time of political turmoil in the state. He opted for optional retirement at 51, only to see many of his then “friends” ignore him. It was, he said, the “lowest point” of his life.
But one man stayed in touch even during those toughest of times – His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.
“The Ruler was the Tunku Mahkota (of Johor) then, and His Majesty would come to my house every other weekend and talk to me and encourage me,” said Abdul Rahim, now the Johor council of royal court president.
In an interview, Abdul Rahim, 83, recalled that he received a call after Sultan Ibrahim had ascended the Johor throne.
“His Majesty said: ‘I remember you well. Thank you for what you have done for me. You move back to your old office (when he was state secretary) in Bukit Timbalan.’
“Sultan Ibrahim also remembered the time when my car was taken away when I had to quit. The Ruler assigned me a Audi A8L with the number plate JRC 1,” he said, adding that His Majesty also paid for his office to be furnished.
Abdul Rahim said he was touched by His Majesty’s gestures and has occupied the office until now. Asked about his early retirement, Abdul Rahim said he was forced to quit after serving six years as state secretary due to the political manoeuvrings and pressure from the government at that time.
“I had to leave because of my loyalty to the Johor Ruler and the royal family. The final straw was when I was instructed to return my official car, JCS 1. The news was repeatedly shown on television, causing concern and sadness for my family.
Sultan Ibrahim together with Abdul Rahim going through the fine details of the design of his Majesty’s medals and robe for his coronation in 2015.
“It was difficult and painful, as I had four more years until retirement then. But I have never regretted what I did,” he said, adding that many of his friends abandoned him.
He said it was a dark period for the country, which started with the sacking of then-Lord President Tun Salleh Abas in 1988.
“There were moves to reduce the powers of the Rulers in 1992. In Johor, they wanted to disband the Johor Military Forces (JMF), curb the Rulers’ expenses, and stop public servants from having an audience or any connection with the royalty.
“They also wanted to restrict Johor royalty’s travel to Singapore by asking them to get customs and immigration clearances and stopping them from meeting the people,” he said.
As the state secretary, he even found it difficult to organise the Sultan’s birthday party. There was also talk that he would be arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Abdul Rahim said there was a plot to link Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail to the alleged murder of a golf caddy whose brother was Prebet Adam Jaafar, who ran amok in Chow Kit in Kuala Lumpur in 1987, killing one person and wounding several others.
Speculation back then was that Adam’s brother was supposedly a golf caddy who laughed when the then Johor Ruler Sultan Iskandar had missed a shot.
It was claimed that the Sultan had hit Adam’s brother on the head with a golf club, and the caddy died.
Abdul Rahim dismissed all that as being untrue, as he was present during that incident.
“I was with Tuanku at that time, along with his security officer and another professional golfer. We had just teed off. Those days, we did not have buggies and had to walk.
“Halfway through the game, Tuanku suddenly stopped and asked me if I saw what the caddy had done,” he said, adding that the caddy had used his feet to push the ball from the rough to the fairway.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia presenting the First Class of the Most Exalted Order of Sultan Ibrahim Johor , Dato’ Sri Mulia Sultan Ibrahim Johor (SMIJ) to council of royal court president Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Ramli during an investiture ceremony at Istana Besar in Johor Baru in conjunction with his majesty coronation on March 23 2015
He added that Tuanku was upset and used his club to hit the caddy, who managed to use his golf bag for cover, and instructed the caddy’s immediate dismissal.
“He was not injured when he left. In fact, the next day Tuanku felt bad about it and asked how the boy was and to reinstate his job as it would affect his livelihood,” he said, clarifying that the boy was never hit on the head.
In the 2017 best-selling book Konfesi Prebet Adam by Syahril A. Kadir, it attributed childhood trauma and the brutal ragging Adam endured in his army camp that caused him to go on a rampage, not because of a wish to avenge the death of his younger brother at the hands of the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as alleged.
In April 2018, Adam’s sister, Hawa Jaafar, apologised to the Johor royal family, saying that the private had gone amok due to his problems at work. Prebet Adam died in March 2021.
As a result of Abdul Rahim tendering his resignation in 1993, he only gets 50% of the pension that he would be entitled to had he stayed on for four more years.
Abdul Rahim, who has written five books on Johor’s history and the royals, the protocols, culture of the palace and ceremonies, is confident Sultan Ibrahim will be a fair King.
On the role of the royal court, he said that it was one of three bodies competent to advise the Johor Ruler and has been around since amendments to the state’s constitution was made about 63 years ago.
The council, comprising 14 members including two appointed members who are ex-officio, advises His Majesty and the royal family on matters that are personal to them, that are in line with the constitution.
He said that the council was formed after the amendments were made in 1957. “The royal council is custodian of all orders and medals. We are also in charge of all ceremonies and protocols in the palace. In other words, from the day you’re born into the royal family until the day you die, the royal court looks after you,” he said, adding that the royal court usually gave advice on the appointment of the Tunku Mahkota, the appointment of the Regent and also types of titles to be given to his children.
