Who is Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Malaysia’s king to be coronated today? What is the monarch’s role?

Malaysia is set to officially coronate King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar as the 17th king of Malaysia at the national palace on Saturday (July 20) for the next five years. The nation has a unique system of picking a king.

Following a rotating monarchy system, nine ethnic Malay state rulers take turns as the nation’s king for five-year terms. This system came into existence when Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. Interestingly, Malaysia has 13 states but only nine have royal families with some tracing their roots to centuries-old Malay kingdoms that were independent states until they were brought together by the British.

Sultan Ibrahim, one of the country’s richest men, has an extensive business empire ranging from real estate to telecommunications. The 65-year-old monarch from southern Johor state has good relations with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and is candid about Malaysian politics, having spoken out against corruption and racial discrimination.

More than 700 guests are expected to attend the coronation, including Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Bahrain King Hamad Isa al Khalifa. The ceremony will be followed by a royal banquet later.

What role does the king play in Malaysia?

Known as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or He Who is Made Lord, the king plays a largely ceremonial role, with administrative power vested in the prime minister and Parliament. The monarch is the nominal head of the government and armed forces and is highly regarded as the protector of Islam and Malay tradition. All laws, Cabinet appointments and the dissolution of Parliament for general elections require his assent. The king has the power to proclaim an emergency and pardon criminals.

Sultan Ibrahim succeeded Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang state, who presided over a tumultuous period that included COVID-19 lockdowns and political instability.

The political influence of the king has grown in recent years. Sultan Abdullah intervened to decide who should become prime minister, including designating Anwar after a 2022 general election led to a hung parliament.

Sultan Ibrahim has indicated he will maintain a hands-on approach. Before becoming king, he told the Singapore Straits Times in an interview that he would not want to waste five years on the throne as a “puppet king” but would focus on fighting graft and deepening unity in the country. The Sultan and other rulers have also warned against attempts by the opposition to oust Anwar’s government, calling instead for political stability.

Who is Sultan Ibrahim?

Sultan Ibrahim, whose mother is English, is vocal about welfare issues and makes annual road trips on his motorbike to meet the people in his state. He has also made no secret of his wealth. Apart from a fleet of jets, he has an extensive collection of luxury cars and motorcycles, as well as properties abroad. He is also the only one of the nine rulers with a small private army — a condition agreed upon for the state to join modern-day Malaysia.

Sultan Ibrahim’s high corporate profile — including a stake in the multibillion-dollar Forest City development project in Johor with China’s beleaguered developer Country Garden — has raised eyebrows because of concerns of a possible conflict of interest. He told the Singapore Straits Times that he plans to revive a high-speed rail link project with Singapore and bolster the troubled Forest City project.

The sultan has defended his business dealings. In 2015, he quipped that he has to “earn a living, like ordinary Malaysians” as he cannot rely solely on his 27,000 ringgit ($5,700) monthly state allowance. His wife, Raja Zarith Sofiah, who is from another royal family, is an Oxford graduate and a writer who has authored several children’s books. They have five sons and a daughter.

With inputs from AP