ຜູ້ໃຊ້:Mr Tan~lowiki/SI

January 22, 2009

Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Sultan Sir Ismail Al-Khalidi (born April 8, 1932 in Johor Bahru) was the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (roughly equivalent to King) of Malaysia from April 26, 1984 to April 25, 1989, and the 24th Sultan of Johor.

Namewise, Sultan Iskandar is simply addressed as "Sultan Iskandar", although his full name "Sultan Mahmud Iskandar" is occassionally used by the press. In his younger days, Sultan Iskandar (then a prince, addressed by the title Tunku) was simply known by his first name, "Tunku Mahmud".

Sultan Iskandar is reputed for being a staunch disciplinarian for his willingness to voice out his opinions in governmental issues. In recent years, subjects who have personally encountered the Sultan described him as a person with a warm and generous personality. Nevertheless, past critics had described him as a person with a turbulent temper, by arguing that his reputation was more or less marred by a series of notorious incidents in the past, including an experience of being disinherited from the post of Tunku Mahkota, or Crown Prince in English, in 1961, and a series of alleged criminal acts between the 1970s and the 1990s which provoked moral outrage among the Malaysian public.

Sultan Iskandar is a 4th generation descendant of Sultan Abu Bakar, who in turn was the son of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim (who served as the Temenggong under Hussein Shah of Johor) and grandson of Temenggong Abdul Rahman. The dynastical name of his lineage–Temenggong dynasty–was so-called as his lineage traced back to a family of Temenggongs. The preceding Sultan prior to Sultan Abu Bakar, Ali and his predecessors who ruled Johor from the 17th to 19th centuries, were descended from a family of Bendaharas–hence the name of the dynasties which the ruling houses were known.

Biography

Early life

Sultan Iskandar (known as Tunku Mahmud Iskandar until 1981) is the eldest son of Sultan Ismail ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim by Sultanah Ungku Tun Aminah binti Ungku Paduka Bena Sri Maharaja Utama Ahmad, and was born in Istana Semayam, Johor Bahru. He received his Primary and Secondary education in Ngee Heng Primary School and the English College (now Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar) in Johor Bahru before acquiring tertiary education at the Trinity Grammar School, in Australia and then to United Kingdom. In addition, he also briefly served as an Officer Cadet in the Johor Civil Service.

In 1956, Tunku Iskandar married a Cornish lady by the name of Josephine Trevorrow, with whom he had four children, including the crown prince, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail. The marriage ended with divorce after a few years, and he remarried in 1961, to Tengku Zanariah, who came from the Kelantan royal family. Tengku Zanariah had six children with the Sultan. However, analysts have observed that any literal references to Trevorrow's association with Sultan Iskandar was carefully omitted in all official biographies.

Tunku Iskandar was appointed the Tunku Mahkota of Johor from 1959 to 1961 and Raja Muda from 1966 to 1981 by Sultan Ismail. On April 29, 1981 he was re-appointed as the Tunku Mahkota shortly before his father's demise.

Sultan of Johor

On May 10, 1981, Tunku Iskandar was appointed regent of Johor following the demise of his father, and was sworn in as Sultan a day later shortly before his father was buried. In turn, his younger brother, Tunku Abdul Rahman (not to be confused with Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister), formerly the Tunku Mahkota of Johor for twenty years under Sultan Ismail, was appointed the Tunku Bendahara of Johor, a post which he held until his death in 1989. In the same year on December 12, Sultan Iskandar was appointed as the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Under the elective monarchy system of Malaysia, Sultan Iskandar was elected to be the new Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on February 9, 1984 by the council of rulers–shortly before his predecessor's term expired on April 26, 1984. He succeeded the Sultan of Pahang as the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong on April 26, and an investure–which he was donned in the traditional suit of the Agong, officially installed. Sultan Iskandar served in the capacity as the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong until 1989, whereby the Sultan of Perak succeeded him. As the Yang di-Peruan Agong, Sultan Iskandar was automatically designated under constitutional provisions as the Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, holding the rank of the Field Marshal of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Admiral of the Royal Malaysian Navy and Field Marshal of the Army.

On April 8, 2006, the Sultan appointed his grandson Tunku Ismail Ibrahim–the son of the Tunku Mahkota–as the Raja Muda during an investure in conjunction on his birthday. The rank of Raja Muda denotes that Tunku Ismail is second in position in terms of the order of succession to the Johor royal throne.

On December 1, 2008, Sultan Iskandar graced the official opening of the Sultan Iskandar customs, immigration and quarantine complex, together with several members of the royal family and key cabinet ministers. The complex was named in honour of the Sultan.

Foreign relations

Sultan Iskandar was noted for fostering particularly close neighbourly ties with Singapore by developing a personal rapport with top Singaporean leaders since his ascension to the throne, and this practice was also taken up by his sons, the Tunku Mahkota and Tunku Bendahara. Especially from 1988 onwards, media reports highlighted the particularly warm reception which leaders of both countries receive whenever they visited each other's domains. Such warm relations were evidenced by the significance placed in the honourary awards that both Sultan Iskandar and members of Singapore's cabinet bestowed upon one another, including but not restricted to:

• 1988: Then-Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong received the Dato' Paduka Mahkota Johor (Kerhomat) from the Sultan himself
• 2007: Sultan Iskandar was presented with the Honorary Master Parachutist Wing by then-Singapore Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean
• 2007: Conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the National University of Singapore

Nevertheless, Sultan Iskandar's relations with Singapore were not always as rosy–following the International Court of Justice's ruling on the Pedra Branca dispute–which the court ruled to Singapore, the Sultan made felt that the island belonged to Johor and made a vow to find legal means to retrieve the island's sovereignty.

In addition, Sultan Iskandar also forged close ties with the Sultan of Brunei following his expression of interest in the Iskandar Development Region.

Controversies

Succession

Prior to his life as the Sultan or Agong and even during the 1980s and early 1990s, Tunku Iskandar's reputation was more or less marred by a number of alleged controversial incidents which received occasional attention from the media. One of the earliest incidents was the loss of his status as Tunku Mahkota in 1961–a position which his father, then Sultan Ismail appointed to him two years earlier, citing reasons of misbehaviour. Sultan Ismail then appointed Tunku Iskandar's younger brother, Tengku Abdul Rahman in favour of him. Nevertheless, Iskandar was made the Raja Muda–being the second in line to the throne from 1966 to 1981. In April 1981, Tunku Iskandar was reinstated as Tunku Mahkota shortly before his father's death the following month and was subsequently installed as the Sultan of Johor, under the orders of his father.

However, some eyewitnesses challenged the legitimacy of Tunku Iskandar's reappointment as the Tunku Mahkota by arguing that they witnessed Sultan Ismail already having lapsed into comatose at the time of his appointment as the Regent. (Records stated that Sultan Ismail lapsed into comatose on May 8, three days before his death.) Relations with the Menteri Besar of Johor, Othman Saat deteriorated when the latter questioned Tunku Iskandar's legitimacy to the throne, which led to an incident which saw the Sultan issuing an order to the Menteri Besar to vacate his office within 24 hours shortly after Sultan Ismail's death, citing reasons for the need for that office space for his own. The Menteri Besar heeded his order, though the Sultan did not move in as he had said. Othman Saat subsequently resigned as the Menteri Besar the following year.

Allegations of criminal misconduct

In 1972, Tunku Iskandar was charged for causing assault with a mace to two men for overtaking his car and was convicted the following year. Five years later, Tunku Iskandar was also similarly charged and convicted of culpable homicide and manslaughter after shooting and killing a man near his helicopter whom he took to be a smuggler. In both cases, his father, Sultan Ismail intervened and granted official pardons to Tunku Iskandar. Similarly, his eldest son, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, was convicted in the 1980s of shooting dead a man in a nightclub during a feud, but was quickly pardoned.

In 1987, Sultan Iskandar was accused of causing the death of a golf caddy in Cameron Highlands by assault, following an incident in which the golf caddy laughed when the Sultan missed a hole. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister, pointed out that the Sultan (then the Agong) could not be prosecuted due to the immunity that was accorded to the rulers, yet he condemned Sultan Iskandar's actions at the same time. In the end the matter was let off without much public attention. The brother of the caddy–who also suffered injuries from the incident, being distressed from what he saw, subsequently ran amok in Kuala Lumpur and had to be quarantined in a mental hospital.

Gomez Incident

Main article: 1993 amendment to Article 66 of the Constitution of Malaysia

Assault

In late 1992, two separate assault cases by the Sultan himself as well as his younger son, Tunku Abdul Majid Idris on hockey coaches culminated in the stripping of immunity of rulers from prosecution–which received considerable headlines in both the local and international news which was aptly dubbed as "The Gomez Incident". The incident was kicked off on July 10, 1992 when Sultan Iskandar's second son, the Tunku Bendahara–Tunku Abdul Majid Idris lost his temper during a hockey match with the Perak hockey team after Perak won the match by a penalty stroke, and assaulted the Perak goalkeeper, Mohamed Jaafar Mohamed Vello. The goalkeeper later lodged a police report on July 30. The incident did reveal some public attention especially when the matter was debated in parliament. The incident did result in the Malaysian Hockey Federation issuing Tunku Majid, (then second-in line to the throne after his elder brother) facing a ban of five years from participating in any tournaments following investigations, as well as a brush whereby he was convicted in January 1993 and faced the liability to be sentenced to a year in prison and/or a RM 2000 fine, but was released on a bail and charges dropped on grounds of immunity, which was still applicable at the time when the act was committed.

The Sultan responded to the ban by putting pressure on the state authorities to enforce isolation of the Johor hockey teams from all national tournaments. In November 1992, Douglas Gomez, a coach for the Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar field hockey team, expressed his displeasure of being called to withdraw from a semi-final national hockey match by the Director of the Johor Education Department. The incident attracted the attention of the Sultan, who personally summoned Gomez to his palace, Istana Bukit Serene, where he was promptly reprimanded and assaulted by the Sultan. Following Gomez's meeting with the Sultan, Gomez sought treatment to his face and stomach. Subsequently, he lodged a police report against the Sultan for assault, claiming that the while there were several members of the Johor Military Force personnel present, the Sultan was personally responsible for the assault.

Public responses and follow ups

The assault resulted in a public outcry over the event which pressured all levels of the government right up to the top ranks of the federal government to investigate into the matter. In the closing months of 1992 and also the opening months of 1993, dozens of articles mentioning misdeeds by the royal families of several states–but in particular Sultan Iskandar himself were published, many of which included exorbitant fines–way above the prescribed legal limits–which offenders had to pay for obstructing the Sultan's car, amongst others.

The tremendous pressure from the public prompted the Members of Parliament to convene a special session on December 10, 1992 which saw all 96 members of the Dewan Rakyat present during that session passing a unanimous resolution to curb the powers of the rulers if necessary. During the special meeting, parliamentarians highlighted records that both Sultan Iskandar and his two sons–at the time of mention–had been involved in a total of at least 23 cases of assault, including five cases by the Sultan after 1981, two cases by the Tunku Mahkota and three cases by the Tunku Bendahara.

A bill was passed by both houses of parliament–the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara respectively in January 19 and 20, 1993 respectively. The bill, which proposed to remove legal immunity was agreed by six out of nine sultans–but saw stiff opposition from three, two of which included the Kelantan royal household and the Sultan of Johor himself. Sultan Iskandar took up the initiative to obtain royal effort to stall the implementation of the proposed bill. The bill proposed to strip rulers and members of the royal families of legal immunity–that is, not to be prosecutable under the law in any event of violations against the law. However, after immense pressure from the federal government–who had now considerable powers following a major constitutional amendment in 1983, a Bill was formally passed in March 1993 which saw the loss of legal immunity by the rulers.

The amendment allowed rulers who violated the laws to be prosecuted, while the Sedition Act of 1948 was also amended to allow public criticism of the rulers. A special court was created–presided by the Lord President of the Federal Court–to empower and prosecute members of the rulers and immediate members of the royal household.

Aftermath

Sultan Iskandar and his family members, were not prosecuted for their past violations of the law on grounds that the royal immunity still applied when the incidences occured. Nevertheless, shortly after the incident, Sultan Iskandar was prompted to take steps to rehabilitate his public image which was more or less tarnished by the incident. In a public speech in early 1993, the Sultan was noted to have toned down somewhat on his hardline image and appeared to be somewhat more humble, appealing to Johoreans to maintain their loyalty to him.

Sultan Iskandar's grandfather, Sultan Ibrahim was the founder of the Johor Military Force.

The Gomez incident also led to a review and proposal to disband the Johor Military Force (JMF) in August 1993 by the Federal Government, which also stopped channeling funds to the small military force briefly. However, the bill to disband the JMF was subsequently repealed by parliament.

In November 2008, a call made by the Regent of Negeri Sembilan, Tunku Naqiyuddin to restore immunity to rulers raised concerns among the public, in view of the history of past royal excesses, but specifically the Gomez incident. However, further clarification by Tunku Naqiyuddin stressed that immunity to rulers should not be extended to cases when rulers commit acts of criminality, such as assault.

Political

Shortly before to his election as the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong in 1983, a spate of reports alleging Sultan Iskandar's intention to launch a coup d'état by launching a State of emergency to overthrow the government circulated within political circles, which reached Mahathir himself. The Sultan was reportedly having fostered close relations with several key military personnel, including the Army chief himself. The government subsequently took action to curb constitutional loopholes within the constitution and took to task of reducing the power of royal veto in passing legislation, culminating to a constitutional crisis in late 1983. Nevertheless, during his inaugural speech as the Agong in 1984, about a month after the constitutional amendments were passed in parliament, Sultan Iskandar voiced public support for the revised constitution and pledged to act in accordance to the Prime Minister's advise.

A diplomatic scandal between Britain and Malaysia broke out in 1984 when several British newspapers published Sultan Iskandar's coronation–citing the headlines such as "Killer becomes King" and "King a killer", which enraged the Malaysian government who demanded an apology from the British government. The British government refused to apologise on behalf of the newspapers–hence triggering tensions between the two nations.

In 1988, as Sultan Iskandar was serving in his capacity as the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong, the Lord President of the Federal Court Tun Salleh Abas was sacked by the Agong in what led to the 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis. However, observers suggested a remarkably warm relationship between then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad with the Agong, both of whom shared common resentment against the chief justice–Sultan Iskandar convicted of homicide and sentenced to six months imprisonment prior to his Kingship during his youth by Salleh Abas himself in 1977. The sacking of the Lord President, was however not without controversy given the alleged manner in which the Agong and Prime Minister had handled the matter–including an incident which the Agong had refused to forgive the Lord President in spite of an offer of apology.

Sultan Iskandar's public call to support Abdullah Badawi's administration in October 2006 created a minor stir among Mahathir's supporters, when he remarked that "Mahathir should act like a pensioner". The call came at a time when Mahathir's spate of criticisms against Abdullah's were at its most vociferous period. The Sultan was the first state ruler to publicly defend the policy of the government during the period of Mahathir's criticisms against the Abdullah administration.

A month later, in November 2006, another small stir erupted during the launching ceremony of the Iskandar Development Region, when Sultan Iskandar voiced his opinion that the Causeway, which connects Johor and Singapore, should be removed in order to allow ships to pass through and promoting development of the state. He also remarked that the people should be wary of all foreigners as they were "vultures" and also urged the people not to hold them in high regard, citing his displeasure on that his ancestors were being "deceived" by the dirty tactics employed by the colonialists to build the Causeway.

At the inaugural 12th Johor State Assembly Seating in April 2008, a minor controversy erupted when one opposition MP, Gwee Tong Hiang, flouted dress regulations by appearing in a lounge suite and tie instead of the usual official attire and songkok, resulted in being dismissed from the assembly chamber shortly before the Sultan's arrival. Gwee, a DAP MP, reportedly argued that there was no stated order to wear the official attire and songkok and stated his desire to wear a western suit, promptly drew flak from other MPs and the Menteri Besar, Abdul Ghani Othman who had earlier on met to agree to don in the official attire and songkok prior to the assembly, whereby Gwee was absent. The Sultan, apparently angry at Gwee, sharply criticised him two days later and publicly called upon Gwee to seek an audience with him.

Legacy

Several projects and institutions were named after the Sultan, including:

• SMK Tunku Mahmood Iskandar, Parit Saidi, Batu Pahat
• SK Tengku Mahmood Iskandar 1 and 2, Pontian
• Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Kota Tinggi district office of the Malaysian Public Works Department
• Iskandar Johor Open, an Asian Tour golf tournament funded by the Johor state government
• Sultan Iskandar Broadcasting Complex, headquarters of Johor FM at Jalan Datin Halimah
• Sultan Iskandar Power Station, Pasir Gudang

Bangunan Sultan Iskandar–Customs, Immigration and Quarantine centre, opened in 2008. This picture was taken while it was still under construction in 2006.

• Iskandar Malaysia, formerly Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar or Iskandar Development Region (IDR) in English
• Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, or the Sultan Iskandar Complex in English, a customs, immigration and quarantine complex opened in December 2008

One of his grandsons (the son of his second son, Tunku Abdul Majid), Tunku Mahmood Iskandar, was named after him. Some of his children and grandchildren are also similarly named after his forebears, notably his older son, Tunku Ibrahim, who was named after the Sultan's grandfather, Sultan Ibrahim.

Personal Life

The Sultan is an avid golfer and devotes much of his free time at the Royal Johor Country Club. In addition, he also loved Tennis, Squash and Cinematography. Within private circles, Sultan Iskandar was fondly known as "Moody", a testimony to his first name "Mahmud." His son, Tunku Abdul Majid inherited his interest in Amateur Golf and once served as the President of the Malaysian Golf Association.

References

• A History of Malaysia, Barbara Watson Andaya, Leonard Y. Andaya, Published by Macmillan, 1982, ISBN 0333276728
• Asian Recorder, Published by K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press, 1993
• Constitutional Heads and Political Crises: Commonwealth Episodes, 1945-85, By Donald Anthony Low, Macmillan, 1988, ISBN 0333464206
• Behind the Myth: Business, Money and Power in Southeast Asia, By James Clad, Published by Unwin Hyman, 1989
• Challenging Times, Abdul Rahman, J. S. Solomon, Pelanduk Publications, 1985, ISBN 9679780945
• Coercion and Governance: The Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia, Muthiah Alagappa, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0804742278
• Government and Society in Malaysia, By Harold A. Crouch, Published by Cornell University Press, 1996, ISBN 0801432189
• Information Malaysia, Published by Berita Publ. Sdn. Bhd., 1990, Item notes: 1990/91
• Information Malaysia, Published by Berita Publishing, 2002
• Jendela masa: kumpulan esei sempena persaraan Dato' Khoo Kay Kim, Mohammad Redzuan Othman, Kay Kim Khoo, Penerbit Universiti Malaya, 2001, ISBN 9831001206
• Johore and the Origins of British Control, 1895-1914, Nesalamar Nadarajah, Arenabuku, 2000, ISBN 9679703185
• Mads lange fra bali: og hans efterslaegt sultanerne af johor, Paul Andresen, Odense Universitetsforlag, 1992, ISBN 8774928511
• Mahathir, the Secret of the Malaysian Success: The Secret of the Malaysian Success, By Hajrudin Somun, Lejla Somun-Krupalija, Pelanduk Publications, 2003, ISBN 9679788792
• Malay Political Leadership, Anthony S. K. Shome, Tony Shome, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0700716297
• Malays/Muslims in Singapore: Selected Readings in History, 1819-1965, Kay Kim Khoo, Elinah Abdullah, Meng Hao Wan, Association of Muslim Professionals (Singapore), Centre for Research on Islamic & Malay Affairs (Singapore), Pelanduk Publications, 2006
• Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, By Simon Richmond, Marie Cambon, Chris Rowthorn, Damian Harper, Published by Lonely Planet, 2004, ISBN 174059357X
• Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Charles de Ledesma, Mark Lewis, Pauline Savage, Rough Guides (Firm), Published by Rough Guides, 2003, ISBN 1843530945
• Malaysian Politics: The Second Generation, By Gordon Paul Means, Published by Oxford University Press, 1991, ISBN 0195889835
• Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir, By Robert Stephen Milne, Diane K. Mauzy, Published by Routledge, 1999, ISBN 0415171431
• Metal Men: How Marc Rich Defrauded the Country, Evaded the Law, and Became the World's Most Sought-After Corporate Criminal, A. Craig Copetas, Marc Rich, Little Brown, 2001, ISBN 0349106843
• Negara Brunei Darussalam: A Biographical Dictionary (1860-1996), A. V. M. Horton, 1996, ISBN 0952483106
• Pemerintah dan pemimpin-pemimpin kerajaan Malaysia, Siti Rosnah Haji Ahmad, Golden Books Centre, 2006, ISBN 9837204303
• Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition, Roger Kershaw, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0415185319
• Political Handbook of Asia 2007, Arthur S. Banks, Thomas C. Muller, William R. Overstreet, CQ Press, ISBN 0872894975
• Siapa kebal, Mahathir atau raja-raja Melayu?, Yahaya Ismail, Dinamika Kreatif, 1993
• Sistem beraja di Malaysia, Tan Chee Khoon, Published by Pelanduk Publications, 1985
• Southeast Asian Affairs, By Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Published by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies., 1982, Item notes: 1982
• Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen His Story: His Story, K.N. Nadarajah, Pelanduk Publications, 2000, ISBN 9679787095
• The Europa Year Book: A World Survey, By Taylor & Francis Group, Bernan Associates, Europa Publications Limited, Published by Europa Publications, 1984
• The International Who's Who 2004, Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, Routledge, 2003, ISBN 1857432177
• The Politics of Islam in Contemporary Malaysia, Kamarulnizam Abdullah, Published by Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2003, ISBN 9679425924
• Who's who in Asian and Australasian Politics, Bowker-Saur, Bowker-Saur, 1991, ISBN 0862915937
• Who's who in Malaysia ... & Profiles of Singapore, John Victor Morais, Who's Who Publications, 1982

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Tunku Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj (born November 22, 1958) is the current Tunku Mahkota of Johor (or Crown Prince in English). He has been holding that post since 1981, within weeks of his father's appointment as Sultan of Johor.

As Tunku Mahkota, he was reputed to have contributed generously to charity and the welfare of Johoreans especially through the Kembara Mahkota Johor, an event which he personally initiated and was always seen unleashing his rare collection of automobiles and motorcycles. Nevertheless, his reputation was occassionally questioned by occassional reports of alleged incidents of assaults, which were occassionally published in the press.

Biography

Tunku Ibrahim is the eldest son of the current Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar by his first wife Josephine Trevorrow, of Cornish ethnicity from Torquay, whom Sultan Iskandar (then Tunku Iskandar) met while he was studying in England. Trevorrow, a propretior by profession, took on the name of "Che Kalsom binti Abdullah" for a time following her marriage to Tunku Iskandar.

Tunku Ibrahim was born at Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru. As a youth, he received military training in the US–at Fort Benning, Georgia and later at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Tunku Ibrahim Ismail was appointed as the Tunku Mahkota of Johor on July 4, 1981, and had served as the regent of Johor between April 26, 1984 and April 25, 1989 when his father served his term as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

Tunku Ibrahim has five sons: Tunku Ismail, Tunku Abdul Jalil, Tunku Iman, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tunku Idris, and one daughter, Tunku Aminah, by his spouse, Raja Zarith Sofia, who is the daughter of the late Sultan Idris Shah II of Perak. His eldest son, Tunku Ismail Ibrahim was appointed the Raja Muda in April 2006 by his father in a royal investiture.

Controversies

Allegations of criminal misconduct

Occassional reports of alleged criminal misconduct from the 1980s onwards marred Tunku Ibrahim's reputation somewhat, albeit to a much lesser extent than his father, Sultan Iskandar, whose past actions had received considerable attention from mainstream media. In the 1980s, he was convicted of shooting dead a man in a nightclub during a feud, but was quickly pardoned.

In late 1992 to early 1993, Tunku Ibrahim also experienced fallouts of the Gomez Incident–in which his father and younger brother, Tunku Majid were accused of two separate but related incidences of assault which provoked a moral outrage nationwide and ultimately resulting in constitutional ammendments allowing members of the royalty to be prosecuted for criminal wrongdoings. During that period of time, the press, which was supported by the Malaysian government, launched a series of vociferous press reports on the history of alleged incidences of royal wrongdoings, of which parliamentarians highlighted that Tunku Ibrahim had been convicted in at least two cases of assault in the 1980s. This included a victim who was allegedly assaulted by Tunku Ibrahim, Rahim Mohd Nor, who went so far as to describe his assault experience as an act of sadism by Tunku Ibrahim.

In March 2005, a member of the Malaysian royalty allegedly assaulted a young woman by the name of Yasmin with whom he accused of two-timing him with another policeman. The victim's father, Mohd Yasin, later lodged a police report which claimed that the assault culprit was Tunku Ibrahim, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor.

Other incidences

In October 2005, a brawl occured on Pulau Rawa after a Johor prince allegedly gatecrashed into a wedding party. The prince ordered some guests out of the island after a fight broke out when a woman refused to dance with one of the gatecrashers. The locals, who felt offended by the woman's attitude, went off but soon returned with golf clubs and weapons and started a fight. In the process, several people were injured and sent to the hospital, while five others were arrested, including a 20 year old prince from the Johor royal family. The names of the culprits were not released by the police, who chose to retain the confidentality of the atatckers. The Tunku Mahkota issued a press statement to urge the culprits to apologise to the affected guests.

References

• Information Malaysia: 1985 Year Book, Mei Sui Cheong, Published by Berita Publishing, 1985
• Information Malaysia, Published by Berita Publ. Sdn. Bhd., 1989
• Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Charles de Ledesma, Mark Lewis, Pauline Savage, Rough Guides (Firm), Published by Rough Guides, 2003, ISBN 1843530945
• Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition, By Roger Kershaw, Published by Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0415185319
• My East was Gorgeous, By Ira J. Morris, Published by Travel Book Club, 1958
• The International Who's Who 2004: Book with Single-User Online Access, By Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, Published by Routledge, 2003, ISBN 1857432177
• The Who's who in Malaysia, By John Victor Morais, Published by Solai Press., 1967

External Links

• Rulers of Malaysian states: Johor
• JOHOR (Sultanate)

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Tunku Majid in 2008

Tunku Abdul Majid Idris Ibni Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj (born July 20, 1970, Johor Bahru) is the Tunku Bendahara of Johor. He has been holding that position since the death of his uncle Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1989. In addition, he has also served honarary positions, including the President of the Malaysian Gold Association and Deputy President of the Malaysian Hockey Federation.

A high-profile notorious incident in 1992 which saw Tunku Majid allegedly assaulting a hockey coach culminated in the stripping of legal immunity among members of the royalty. Nevertheless, Tunku Majid was often praised in his generous donations and concern in the societal welfare among Johoreans.

Biography

Tunku Majid was the second son of Sultan Iskandar by his second wife Tengku Zanariah, and was born in 1970 at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru. In his youth, he was enrolled into Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar before pursuing his studies at MENLO College, Palo Alto in San Francisco. Tunku Majid also represented himself in international sports tournaments in the 1980s as a youth, particularly hockey and golf, which he excelled in. For a period of time between the 1980s and 2000s, Tunku Majid was the Raja Muda of Johor, although his position was later displaced by his nephew, Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, who was appointed Raja Muda by Sultan Iskandar in 2006.

In January 2006, Tunku Majid Tengku Teh Mazni, a member of the Kelantan royal family. They have a son, Tunku Mahmood Iskandar, whom Tunku Majid fondly named him after his father, Sultan Mahmud Iskandar.

Societal contributions

Tunku Majid's keen interest in the Malaysian sports industry resulted in his appointment as the President of the Malaysian Golf Association. and Deputy President of the Malaysian Hockey Federation During his tenure as honorary capacity of these national sports associations, he was noted for his contributions to the sporting field at the national level. In 2008, he proposed the formation of the Asean Golf Foundation, of which presidents of the respective gold clubs among ASEAN countries will take turns on a rotational basis to serve as its secretary general. In addition, he was also noted for his personal generous contributions in the development of the Malaysian hockey and golf teams. In late 2008, however, an internal crisis in the administration of these sports associations resulted in Tunku Majid being relieved of his positions.

Controversies

Gomez Incident

Main article: Gomez Incident

A relatively high profile incident in 1992 which saw Tunku Majid assaulting a hockey coach culminated in the stripping of legal immunity by members of the royalty. The incident, which occurred on July 10, 1992, occurred during a hockey match with Perak. Tunku Majid, who was with the players, apparently got irritated after the Perak hockey team won the game by a penalty shot, and subsequently beat up the Perak Hockey Coach, Mohamed Jaafar Vello (also known as Jaafar Selvaraj). Following the incident, Jaafar did lodged a police report with the moral support of the cabinet towards the end of the month. Subsequently, press reports launched a series of articles publishing the incident, and the Malaysian Hockey Federation, being prompted to act, issued a five year ban to Tunku Majid from participating in any national hockey tournaments.

Sultan Iskandar, apparently infurated by the decision, issued an edict to pressure the Johor education department to enforce a boycott of Johor hockey teams not to participate in any national hockey tournaments. This led to some hockey coaches being dissatisfied by Sultan Iskandar's decision, and promptly criticised his decision. Sultan Iskandar, taking Gomez' remarks in offence, ordered Gomez to meet him in November 1992 at Istana Bukit Serene, where he promptly reprimanded and assaulted Gomez. The incident sparked off a standoff between the Malaysian government and members of the royalty after the government proposed changes to review the status of legal immunity of the rulers.

Tunku Majid, on the other hand, was ordered to stand trial for voluntarily causing hurt, which he initially pleaded not guilty. Subsequent court sessions into January 1993 convicted him of deliberately causing hurt and hence made him liable to a jail term and/or a fine, though neither penalties were slapped as legal immunity was still relevant when the convictions were slapped on him.

MGA crisis

In November 2008, accusations by the Malaysian Golf Association was brought up by its members against Tunku Majid for excessive and unethical use of the association's funds. A committee member, Abdul Majid Md Yusoff–an elected committee member who issued the notice of the EGM, in which Tunku Majid responded strongly to his claims. Shortly before an Extraordinary General Meeting was held to decide the fate of Tunku Majid, Tunku Majid expressed that it was unconstitutional to the vires of the rules of the MGA and pledged to continue serving the association until his term expires the following year, but also expressing that he would not seek re-election to be its association's president. He expressed his decision to boycott the meeting, after seeking legal advice from a lawyer.

The delegates voted in favour of impeaching Tunku Majid as his president. A vote of no confidence against Tunku Majid as President was taken–with 129 delegates voting in favour of his impeachment and 33 against. However, questions were about the technical ambiguity questioned the legitimacy of the meeting, whose views were also supported by former President Thomas Lee and vice-President Zain Yusof. Following the delegation, Tunku Majid expressed that he still believed that he was the President of the MGA. Members of the MGA rebutted by citing provisions within its constitution, and refuted Tunku Majid's claims that the EGM was unconstitutional.

In a surprise move, delegates swiftly elected MGA's vice President Robin Loh in Tunku Majid's place, arguing that its legitimacy as provided by the association's constitution.

References

• Islam Embedded: The Historical Development of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS, 1951-2003, Farish Ahmad Noor, Published by Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, 2004
• Mahathir di sebalik tabir, Zainuddin Maidin, Published by Utusan Publications, 1994
• Malaysia Handbook: The Travel Guide, Joshua Eliot, Jane Bickersteth, Footprint Travel Guides, 2002, ISBN 1903471273
• Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition, Roger Kershaw, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0415185319
• Siapa kebal, Mahathir atau raja-raja Melayu?, Yahaya Ismail, Published by Dinamika Kreatif, 1993
• The Other Side of Mahathir, Zainudin Maidin, A. Hulaimi, Utusan Publications & Distributors, 1994

Tunku Ismail Ibrahim

Controversies

In October 2008, reports surfaced about a confrontation and a royal scuffle which allegedly occured in a nightclub in Kuala Lumpur between two princes. Tunku Nadzimuddin, a member of the Negeri Sembilan household, filed a police report accusing of a Johor royal whom he identified the culprit to be Tunku Ismail; for initiating the confrontation and assaulting him in the face and head. A friend of Tunku Nadzimuddin, Shamshuddhuha Ishak, also filed another police report accusing of Tunku Ismail's bodyguards of assaulting him and losing a teeth in the process.

Sultan Ibrahim of Johor

Early life and family

Born Che Wan Ibrahim on September 17, 1873 in Istana Bidadari, Singapore, he was the only son of Che Wan Abu Bakar, Temenggung of Johor by Che Puan Besar Zubaidah ("nee" Cecilia Catharina Lange). Zubaidah was the daughter of Mads Johansen Lange; a Balinese-based Danish businessman and his Chinese wife, Nonna Sangnio (born Ong Sang Nio). Nonna, who was born in Southern China, lived in East Java for a time prior to her marriage to Lange.

Che Wan Ibrahim was known as Tunku Ibrahim from 1885, when his father, then Maharaja Abu Bakar, proclaimed himself Sultan and sovereign of the state of Johor.

ແມ່ແບບ:Infobox Monarch

Almarhum Sultan Sir Ismail Al-Khalidi ibn Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim Al-Masyhur, KBE, CMG, was the 23rd Sultan of Johor in Malaysia.

Early life

Born Tunku Ismail on October 28, 1894 at Istana Semayam, Johor, he was the eldest son of Sultan Ibrahim by his first wife, Sultanah Ungku Maimunah.

Though proclaimed Tunku Mahkota or crown prince at the age of one, he did not succeed his father until the latter died in May 1959. He was nonetheless the de facto ruler of Johor, as his father was overseas most of the time.

Sultan of Johor

He was crowned at Istana Besar, Johor Bahru on the February 10, 1960 and was the last Johor Sultan to be officially crowned.

He was the first Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia when the institution was established.

In 1976, both Sultan Ismail and his wife, Ungku Tun Aminah binti Ungku Ahmad, met with a car accident in Muar. While she was permanently left in a vegetative state until her death in 1977 owing to brain damage, the sultan escaped with only minor injuries. Nevertheless, the ordeal passed rather quickly, and Sultan Ismail remarried in November 1977 to Tengku Nora. Tengku Nora was subsequently coronated as Sultanah the following October.

Sultan Ismail died on May 10, 1981 and was interred at the Makam Mahmoodiah royal mausoleum, Johor Bahru.

Succession issues

On August 10, 1961, he stripped his eldest son Tunku Mahmood Iskandar, of the post of Tunku Mahkota due to misconduct–although he was given the post of Raja Muda on December 1, 1966. His second son, Tunku Abdul Rahman (1933-1989) became the Tunku Mahkota instead. However, shortly before his death in April 1981, Sultan Ismail reappointed Tunku Iskandar as the Tunku Mahkota, who succeeded him the following month.

Family

A meek and quiet ruler, Sultan Ismail married two official wives who served as Sultanahs of Johor. They were:

• Sultanah Ungku Tun Aminah binti Ungku Ahmad (d. 1977), a second cousin of the Sultan, married on August 30, 1920. Sultanah Aminah suffered a road accident in 1976 , and died a year later. He had four children with her, of which only one son survived to adulthood:

• Tunku Abdul Jalil (1924-25)
• Tunku Kalthum Maimunah (1927-30)
• Tunku Abdul Rahman (1930-30)
• Tunku Iskandar (now Sultan Iskandar) (born 1932)

• Ungku Maimunah (not to be confused with his mother, the Sultanah and one of his daughters, who share the same name), another relative of his, whom he married somewhere in the 1930s. He had three children with her, of which only one son and one daughter survived to adulthood:

• Tunku Abdul Rahman (1933-89)
• Tunku Helen (1936-37)
• Tunku Tun Maimunah (born 1939)

• Sultanah Tengku Nora binti Tengku Panglima Raja Ahmad, member of the Kelantanese royal household, married in October 1978. She is the sister of Tengku Zanariah (now Sultanah), the spouse of Sultan Iskandar.

References

• The Who's who in Malaysia, John Victor Morais, Published by Solai Press., 1965
• The Who's Who, Malaysia and Singapore, John Victor Morais, Published by J. Victor Morais, 1969
• Who's who in Malaysia & Singapore, John Victor Morais, Published by Who's Who Publications., 1979
• Mads lange fra bali: og hans efterslaegt sultanerne af johor, By Paul Andresen, 1992, ISBN 8774928511
• Information Malaysia, Published by Berita Publ. Sdn. Bhd., 1985
• Johore and the Origins of British Control, 1895-1914, Nesalamar Nadarajah, Arenabuku, 2000

The 1993 amendment to Article 66 of the Constitution of Malaysia was passed by the Malaysian parliament with the aim of removing legal immunity of the royalty. It was implemented in March 1993. Previously, the Constitution granted rulers who have violated the law not to be prosecuted by the criminal court unless he voluntarily wishes to surrender his legal immunity. By some interpretations, the events leading up to the constitutional amendments was considered to be a constitutional crisis, given that the federal government, who needed the endorsement of the Sultans to implement the law, refused and subsequently led to a brief standoff between both sides. However, in most cases, the events leading up to the constitutional amendment was generally closely identified as a monarchy crisis rather than a constitutional crisis.

Gomez Incident

In 1992, two seperate assault incidents by members of the Johor royal family allegedly occured– aptly dubbed as the "Gomez Incident" by the media. The first one occured on July 10, 1992, when the second son of the Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan of Johor, Tunku Abdul Majid, flayed a Perak hockey goalkeeper, Mohamed Jaafar Selvarajah Vello shortly after a hockey championship match between Perak and Johor, supposedly having lost his temper when the Perak team won the match by a penalty stroke. The goalkeeper made a police report soon afterwards which received attention from the Parliament who pressured the Malaysian Hockey Federation to issue Tunku Majid a ban of five years from participating in any national hockey tournaments in October 1992. The Sultan, enraged by the decision issued to his son, exerted pressure on the state education department to issue orders to school hockey teams in Johor to boycott participation in national tournaments. The decision took a coach, Douglas Gomez to dissatisfaction, who called the resignation of all Johor Hockey Association key position bearers and criticising the education department for destroying the leadership.

The criticisms by Gomez took the Sultan to anger, who summoned Gomez to the palace on November 30 where he was assaulted by the Sultan, in front of his dumbstricken bodyguards, members of the Johor Military Force. Gomez, who suffered injuries to his face and stomach, sought treatment at a private clinic the following day. Gomez subsequently filed a police report on the December 6, after receiving tacit support from the Parliament. The government-backed media, on its part, was swift to report on the incident.

Parliamentary debates and resolutions

Following the press reports, a special session was held on December 10, 1992 which saw all 96 members of the Dewan Rakyat present to pass an unianimous resolution to curb the powers of the rulers if necessary. The subsequent parliamentary session on December 27 saw discussions to remove legal immunity which agitated Sultan Iskandar to hold a rally to oppose the government's actions, but was forced to cancel after intense government pressure. Members of the opposition party had a passive stance towards the government's proposals, particularly from Semangat 46.

A ruler's session was held on January 16, 1993 the following years which requested the government for additional time for consideration to the government's decision. After extensive negotiation, some rulers chose to refuse to endorse the proposed changes to the Federal Constitution, even after the offer for a special court to prosecute the rulers was proposed, claiming that the implementation of a special court would bring about difficulties in legal technicalities.

The proposed amendments also came with the demands to allow commoners to criticise the Sultans, even the Yang di-Pertuan Agong without fear of the Sedition Act, with the exception of questioning the legitimacy of the monarchy of Malaysia. In addition, the proposed amendments also sought to limit the curtail the power to pardon their offences of family members and parliamentary criticism of the misdeeds of any royalty.

Nevertheless, the parliamentary session on subsequent days saw the Dewan Rakyat to table the proposed amendments in spite of the Sultans' objections, citing as far to say that there was no need to obtain royal assent to implement laws. Back in 1983, Mahathir's cabinet managed to pass ten years earlier. Shortly before the Dewan Rakyat concluded its session, 133 out of 180 MPs passed the proposed changes although members of the opposition parties abstained from voting, citing indifferences. The following day, Dewan Negara passed an unanimous resolution to approve of the proposed amendments.

The three rulers, on the other hand, continued to withhold their consent to the amendments which saw the government threatening to withdraw the privilages and continued attacks via the national media on instances of royal excesses of their extravagant lifestyles and even hinting a possibility of ending constitutional monarchy in Malaysia, such as the publication of an article of monarchs who abdicated or were disposed since World War 2.

The Dewan Rakyat passed its implementation on March 8, 1993, while the Dewan Negara approved of its implementation on March 30. A new chapter, Part XV of the Constitution entitled "Proceedings against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Rulers" was enshrined.

Media coverage

The government-backed media, on its part, launched a series of reports between 1992 and 1993 detailing alleged misdeeds by members of he royalty not only by the Johor royal family but also on other royal houses from other states, questioning their extravagant lifestyles and misuse of moral authority to gain alleged concessions. The Pahang royal family, in particular, was criticised for the way which they allegedly gained favourable timber forestry concession rates and the unusually high shares which they were accorded in the timber forestry industry. In Kelantan, Sultan Ismail Petra was also heavily criticised for failing to pay import duty tax after buying an imported Italian luxury sports car as well as alleged biased support for Semangat 46 by Dr Mahathir, for violating the constitution which states that monarchs will have to take on a neutral role in political affairs. The leader of Semangat 46, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was a member of the Kelantan royal family.

The views of the Islamic Religious leaders were also well publicised, who criticised the royal excesses and even went as far as placing members of the royalty as equal members with the commoners in the eyes of Allah.

Aftermath

Another further constitutional amendment in May 1994 allowed any law that has been passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara to become law within 30 days, irrespective of whether the Agong had given his assent. The new legislation further reduced the veto power of the Agong–amended previously in 1983, who could withhold assent of a proposed amendment within 30 days after both houses of parliament pass a proposed amendment.

The new constitutional amendment took some interesting twists following its amendments: In 1996, a Singaporean filed to sue the Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang for defamation in the special court for the rulers, which was turned down by the Special Court on grounds that the right to sue a ruler only belongs to a Malaysian citizen. A few years later, Sultan Sharafuddin of Selangor, then Tengku Sharifuddin, sued a company, Dikim Holdings. In both cases, only the Special Court had authority to exercise jurisdiction over the Rulers, whether they were to be tried or intended to try another party.

See Also

• 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis

References

• Dictionary of the Modern Politics of South-East Asia, Michael Leifer, Taylor and Francis, 2001, ISBN 0415238757
• Europa World Year Book 2: Kazakhstan-Zimbabwe, Taylor and Francis Group, 2004, ISBN 185743255X
• Government and Society in Malaysia, Harold A. Crouch, Cornell University Press, 1996, ISBN 0801432189
• Kerajaan mansuh kekebalan raja Melayu: semua parti politik sokong, Mokhtar Petah, ART Media, 1993, ISBN 9839835009
• Law, Capitalism and Power in Asia: The Rule of Law and Legal Institutions, Kanishka Jayasuriya, Routledge, 1999, ISBN 0415197430
• Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Asia and the Pacific, Christian Campbell, 2006, ISBN 1411650123
• Islam Embedded: The Historical Development of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS, 1951-2003, Ahmad-Noor A. Noor, Farish Ahmad Noor, Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, 2004, ISBN 9839986686
• Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy, Shanti Nair, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Routledge, 1997, ISBN 041510341X
• Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir, Robert Stephen Milne, Diane K. Mauzy, Routledge, 1999, ISBN 0415171431
• Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition, Roger Kershaw, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0415185319
• Nature and Nation: Forests and Development in Peninsular Malaysia, Jeyamalar Kathirithamby-Wells, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, NUS Press, 2005, ISBN 997169302X
• Personalized Politics: The Malaysian State Under Mahathir, In-wŏn Hwang, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2003, ISBN 9812301852
• The End of Empire and the Making of Malaya, T. N. Harper, Cambridge University Press, 2001, ISBN 0521004659