Malaysia yesterday chose the sultan of Johor as its next king, a role that has become increasingly important in determining who takes power in the Southeast Asian nation.
The country’s royal families elected Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, the ruler of the nation’s southernmost state bordering Singapore, an official statement said.
Sultan Ibrahim, who commands a private army and has significant business interests, is to replace King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, whose term is set to expire in late January.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia has a unique constitutional monarchy where nine state royals take turns to serve five-year terms. The king plays a largely ceremonial role, but he has discretion to decide certain things, such as who becomes prime minister if no party has a majority.
The appointment comes at a high point in the monarchy’s power since Malaysia gained independence in 1957. The king’s influence has grown ever since the Barisan Nasional alliance that had ruled Malaysia for more than six decades lost power in 2018, reshaping the nation’s political landscape.
The prime example was in November last year, when a general election led to Malaysia’s first-ever hung parliament. The king stepped in to break the deadlock, backing longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to form a unity government.
“The Johor sultan will become constitutional monarch at a time of the country’s political transition where governments will likely be post-election coalitions,” said Ibrahim Suffian, cofounder and director of Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, a Malaysian polling company. “The outgoing king has had to preside over fractious politics.”
A representative for the sultan of Johor declined to comment.
The announcement came after a meeting of a body called the Conference of Rulers at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur. Nine of Malaysia’s 13 states have royal families. Sultan Ibrahim is next in turn for the throne and no surprises are forecast.
The new king is to start his term on Jan. 31.
In business, Sultan Ibrahim has a stake in Forest City, a development of high-rise buildings off the coast of Johor that is expected to cost US$100 billion. A joint venture between troubled Chinese developer Country Garden Holdings Co and a Malaysian firm owned by Sultan Ibrahim, the Johor state government and others, it has faced challenges, including complaints from Singapore’s government and Beijing’s crackdown on citizens buying real-estate overseas.
Nauru has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island in the Pacific Ocean. Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called “Golden Passports.” Selling for US$105,000 each, Nauru plans to drum up more than US$5 million in the first year of the “climate resilience citizenship” program. Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications — covering two families and four individuals. Despite the slow start —
MOGAMI-CLASS FRIGATES: The deal is a ‘big step toward elevating national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner,’ a Japanese official said Australia is to upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said yesterday. Billed as Japan’s biggest defense export deal since World War II, Australia is to pay US$6 billion over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates. Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China. It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade. “This is clearly the biggest defense-industry agreement that has ever
DEADLY TASTE TEST: Erin Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband three times, police said in one of the major claims not heard during her initial trial Australia’s recently convicted mushroom murderer also tried to poison her husband with bolognese pasta and chicken korma curry, according to testimony aired yesterday after a suppression order lapsed. Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023, lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behavior in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale yesterday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret. Patterson tried to kill her
MILITARY’S MAN: Myint Swe was diagnosed with neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease, and had authorized another to perform his duties Myint Swe, who became Myanmar’s acting president under controversial circumstances after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, died yesterday, the military said. He was 74. He died at a military hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, in the morning, Myanmar’s military information office said in a statement. Myint Swe’s death came more than a year after he stopped carrying out his presidential duties after he was publicly reported to be ailing. His funeral is to be held at the state level, but the date had not been disclosed, a separate statement from the
RSS