In time-honoured tradition, the Conference of Rulers will make their decision.
THE country’s nine Rulers will elect the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong during a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers tomorrow.
An official announcement of the next king is expected to be made after Friday prayers.
While the nation has the only elected constitutional monarch in the world, the process is also based on a rotation agreed to by the Rulers.
It is both a tradition and a convention which has been respected and upheld in the royal institution.
The election is stipulated under the Federal Constitution to choose a new king and his deputy under a five-year term.
Only the nine Rulers who are members of the Conference of Rulers can take part in the secret balloting.
The Conference of Rulers began their two-day meeting yesterday at Istana Negara.
This 262nd meeting of the Conference of Rulers was chaired by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
A pre-meeting involving just the Rulers was held the day before.
According to reports, the first cycle of the rotation, from 1957 – when the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was established – to 1994, saw Negri Sembilan at the top of the election list, followed by Selangor, Perlis, Terengganu, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Johor and Perak.
The term of the present King, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, will end on Jan 31 next year.
So, the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong in line will be the Sultan of Johor.
The deputy is expected to be the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah.
The Rulers place great respect on tradition and precedence to the institution and its time-held process of choosing a king.
While there is an election, the Rulers are unlike ordinary politicians.
It’s fair to say that the royal institution is the only one which Malaysians have high regard and respect for.
Although the Rulers are viewed as the custodians and protectors of Islam and the Malays, they have all displayed fairness and moderation to all Malaysians, regardless of their race or religion.
Malaysians have high regard and respect for the Rulers and possibly feel that this is the only institution they can place their trust in.
All eyes will be on the Sultan of Johor, who is regarded as an outspoken and forthright ruler.
His Majesty has consistently expressed his views openly on the need to protect the unity of the people, in particular Bangsa Johor.
Malaysians are looking forward to his reign as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong and we are confident His Majesty will bring the needed fresh and positive changes to push Malaysia forward to a new level.
The installation of the new king, in a ceremony steeped in royal Malay customs and traditions, formally marking his reign as head of state, is expected to take place in July next year.
It will be a historic moment as apart from the Rulers and their respective consorts, many royal figures will also attend the ceremony.
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Wong Chun Wai
Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.
