Azlan Shah of Perak explained

Azlan Shah
Al-Maghfur-Lah (The Forgiven One)
Succession:Yang di-Pertuan Agong IX
Reign:26 April 1989 – 25 April 1994
Coronation:18 September 1989
Cor-Type:Malaysia
Predecessor:Iskandar
Successor:Ja'afar
Succession2:Sultan of Perak
Reign2:3 February 1984 – 28 May 2014
Coronation2:9 December 1985
Cor-Type2:Installation
Predecessor2:Idris Shah II
Successor2:Nazrin Shah
Succession3:Lord President of the Supreme Court
Embed:yes
Termstart:12 November 1982
Termend:2 February 1984
Nominator:Mahathir Mohamad
Appointer:Ahmad Shah of Pahang
Predecessor:Mohamed Suffian Mohamed Hashim
Successor:Salleh Abas
Full Name:Raja Azlan Shah ibni Raja Yussuff Shah
Regnal Name:Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah
Posthumous Name:Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah
House:House of Siak-Perak
Issue:Sultan Nazrin Shah
Raja Azureen
Raja Ashman Shah
Raja Eleena
Raja Yong Sofia
Father:Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil Karamatullah Nasiruddin Mukhtaram Shah Radziallah Hu'an-hu
Mother:Toh Puan Besar Hatijah binti Toh Indera Wangsa Ahmad
Birth Date:19 April 1928
Birth Place:Batu Gajah, Perak, Federated Malay States
Death Place:National Heart Institute Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date Of Burial:29 May 2014
Place Of Burial:Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum, Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia
Religion:Sunni Islam
Module:
Honorific-Prefix:Yang Amat Mulia Tun
Raja Azlan Shah of Perak
Education:Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Alma Mater:University of Nottingham (LLB)
Occupation:Lawyer, judge
Website:Galeri Sultan Azlan Shah

Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah (Jawi: Malay: {{Script|Arab|سلطان ازلن محب الدين شاه ابن المرحوم سلطان يوسف عز الدين شاه غفر ﷲ له; 19 April 1928 – 28 May 2014) was Sultan of Perak from 1984 until his death in 2014, and the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from 1989 to 1994.

The child of a royal father and a commoner mother, he grew up in Perak, Malaysia. During school he played field hockey, subsequently playing for the Perakian team. He trained to be a lawyer in the United Kingdom. Upon returning to Malaysia, he soon became a judge and quickly rose through the legal ranks. In 1965, he became the youngest person appointed to the High Court of Malaya, and in 1982 he became the youngest ever Lord President of the Federal Court, the country's highest judicial rank.

He became Sultan of Perak in 1984 after the death of his first cousin once removed Sultan Idris Shah II. Subsequently, he was elected to be the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1989, serving a five-year term before returning to his post as Sultan of Perak. In 2009, he exercised his royal authority to prevent the dissolution of the Perak State Legislative Assembly, sparking a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, the legal system ruled Sultan Azlan had acted properly.

During his career, Sultan Azlan Shah was awarded more than 3 dozen Malaysian and foreign honours. Dozens of buildings and other projects were named after him, including a genus of insects. He was known as the "Father of Malaysian Hockey" for furthering field hockey at home and abroad and was the patron of dozens of organisations. With his wife Tuanku Bainun Binti Mohd Ali, Sultan Azlan had five children.

Early life and education

He was born on 19 April 1928 at Kampung Manggis, Batu Gajah, Perak.[1] The youngest son of Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah by his second wife, Toh Puan Besar Hatijah binti Toh Indera Wangsa Ahmad (1906 - 1992), he was brought up by his mother outside of royal circles.

Raja Azlan Shah began his education at the Government English School, Batu Gajah Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Yussuf. For his secondary education, he attended Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Afterwards, he went to the University of Nottingham to study law, earning a Bachelor of Law degree in 1953. While in school, Azlan Shah began his lifelong love for field hockey, playing for his school teams. He subsequently played for the Perakian team.

Legal career

Raja Azlan Shah was admitted to the English Bar on 23 November 1954. He returned to Malaysia, becoming the Assistant State Secretary of Perak. He joined the Judicial and Legal Service of the Federation of Malaya and soon became the President of the Sessions Court. He continued to rise quickly through the legal ranks, serving as Federal Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor, Legal Adviser of the State of Pahang, Registrar of the High Court of Malaya, and Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia.[2]

In 1965, Raja Azlan Shah, aged 37, became the youngest judge ever appointed to the High Court of Malaya. He was appointed to the Federal Court in 1973. In 1979, he was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Malaya. On 12 November 1982 he became the youngest ever Lord President of the Federal Court, the highest judicial post in Malaysia.

Becoming Sultan

His path to becoming the Sultan of Perak started when his father appointed him as raja kechil bongsu on 19 August 1962, which made him the 6th and last in line to the throne. Due to the death of his father the following year, he moved up a rank to become the raja kechil tengah. On 1 January 1978, he moved up to raja kechil sulong and later that year, on 1 August, he moved up to raja kechil besar.

Raja Azlan Shah was installed Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak by the then-Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Almutawakkil Alallahi Shah II on 1 July 1983. During the long reign of Idris Shah, most of Raja Azlan Shah's elder brothers had died. His only surviving elder brother, Raja Baharom Shah, refused the office of Crown Prince and Raja Azlan Shah was suddenly heir to the throne.

Within six months, Sultan Idris died and Azlan Shah ascended to the throne of Perak on 3 February 1984. He was officially installed as the 34th Sultan of Perak on 9 December 1985. In 1989, Sultan Azlan Shah was elected as the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, as the Ruler of Perak was the last of the nine Malay Rulers of Malaysia who has not served as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for its first cycle. After the five-year term ended, he returned to his post as Sultan of Perak in 1994.

Sultan Azlan Shah reigned for a total of 30 years and 114 days, the longest reign for a Sultan of Perak post-Malaysian independence, and the second longest reign in the history of the sultanate, behind only the 11th Sultan, Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Shah.

Perak constitutional crisis

See main article: 2009 Perak constitutional crisis. In 2009, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) political group held a narrow majority in the Perak state assembly with 32 of the 59 seats. Three members of the party decided to leave and allied themselves with the rival Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. PR leader Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin requested to dissolve the state assembly. Sultan Azlan refused the request, citing royal discretion, and instead demanded Mohammad Nizar and the rest of the leadership resign their posts to make way for BN leaders.[3]

The decision was challenged and the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the Sultan was not constitutionally permitted to dismiss the menteri besar. However, upon appeal, the decision was reversed by the Court of Appeal which ruled that the Perak State Constitution gives absolute discretionary power for the Sultan to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly. The Court also directed Nizar to resign. The decision was subsequently upheld unanimously by the five-man Bench of the Federal Court in February 2010.[3]

Recognition

Sultan Azlan was the Pro-Chancellor of the Universiti Sains Malaysia from October 1971 to February 1981 and the Chancellor of the University of Malaya from February 1983 until his death. He also served as the Chairman of the Higher Education Advisory Council from 1974 to 1976. The University of Malaya awarded him an honorary doctorate in June 1979 and the University of Science of Malaysia awarded him one the following June.

Sultan Azlan was recognised by several foreign universities, including:

Sports

Sultan Azlan was an avid supporter of field hockey throughout his life. Due to his significant contributions to the sport, he was known as the "Father of Malaysian Hockey."[4] Azlan was President of the Malaysian Hockey Federation until 2005, and was the elected President of the Asian Hockey Federation from 1997 until his death.[5] He was an Executive Board member of the International Hockey Federation, serving as vice-president for two terms starting in 1992.[6] Under Azlan Shah's leadership, Malaysia twice hosted the World Cup, in 1975 and 2002. In 1983, the sultan founded the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, an annual hockey tournament played in Ipoh.

Sultan Azlan enjoyed golfing in his spare time.

Patron

Sultan Azlan was a patron of the following institutions:

Royal family

Sultan Azlan Shah married Bainun binti Mohd Ali on 9 December 1955. She is styled as Her Royal Highness The Raja Permaisuri (Queen Consort) of Perak, Tuanku Bainun Binti Mohd. Ali, D.K., D.M.N. The couple had five children, two sons and three daughters. The eldest is Raja Nazrin Shah, who is the current Sultan of Perak. The others are Raja Azureen, Raja Ashman Shah, Raja Eleena and Raja Yong Sofia. Raja Ashman Shah died on 30 March 2012 of an asthma attack.[3]

Death

Sultan Azlan Shah died on 28 May 2014 at 1:30 pm at the National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur at age 86. He was posthumously titled as Marhum Al-Maghfur-Lah. He was buried next to grave of the previous ruler, Sultan Idris Shah at the Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum at Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar, Perak after Asar prayers on 29 May, and the proclamation of a new sultan was announced on 29 May.[7] Upon his death, a public holiday was announced in the state of Perak for 29 May so that the population could pay their last respects to him at Kuala Kangsar. Menteri Besar of Perak Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir announced that the Malaysian flag would fly at half-mast for 7 days, and the Perakian flag for 100 days. In addition, "all entertainment and celebrations" were cancelled to show respect for the Sultan.[3]

Issue

See also: Line of succession to the Malaysian throne.

Name Birth Date Birth Place Death Date Death Place !colspan="2"Marriage
Date
Spouse !Their Children Their Grandchildren
Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah27 November 1956 17 May 2007 Raja Azlan Muzzaffar Shah (Raja Kechil Besar)
Raja Nazira Safya
9 December 1957 8 September 1979 Dato' Seri Mohd Salleh Bin Dato' Ismail Abdul Latiff
Azlin
Nurlin
Abdul Azim
Sharifah Nur Alara Budriah Jamalullail
Syed Azlan Salahuddin Putra Jamalullail
Sharifah Nur Zahra Hatijah Jamalullail
Sharifah Nur Ilana Bainunsafia Jamalullail
28 December 1958 No. 25, Jalan Setia Kasih 5, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. 26 September 1991 Dato' Seri Noraini Jane Binti Tan Sri Kamarul Ariffin Raja Eminah Alliyah
Raja Ahmad Nazim Azlan Shah (Raja Kechil Sulong)
Raja Bainunisa Safia
3 April 1960 14 October 1991 Dato' Seri Ismail Farouk Bin Abdullah Omar Azlan
Alia Azleena
Imran Azlan
Ashman Azlan
Sofia
24 June 1961 5 December 1987 Tunku Dato' Seri Kamel Bin Tunku Rijaludin Tunku Aznal Shahabudin
Tunku Khaira Shahabudin
Tunku Amira Shahabudin
Tunku Maisara Shahabudin

Literature

Honours

Perak honours

Malaysian honours

State honours

Foreign honours

Things named after him

Educational institutions

Buildings

Roads

Others

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak dies, aged 86 . The Nation . 29 May 2014 . 29 May 2014.
  2. Web site: His Royal Highess Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan . Official Website Pejabat D.Y.M.M. Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan . 4 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140318224855/http://sultan.perak.gov.my/en/kesultanan/duli.html . 18 March 2014.
  3. Web site: 28 May 2014 . Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak dies, aged 86 . 29 May 2014 . Malay Mail.
  4. News: Hockey pioneer Sultan Azlan Shah dies aged 86. 28 May 2014. Firstpost. 1 June 2014. PTI.
  5. Web site: Asian Hockey Federation :: About Us . Asiahockey. . 1 July 2010 . 4 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110117170929/http://www.asiahockey.org/Pages/AboutUs-Council.html . 17 January 2011.
  6. Web site: International Hockey Federation : Executive Board . Fih.ch . 4 December 2010.
  7. Web site: New Sultan of Perak to be proclaimed tomorrow . The Star . 28 May 2014 . 29 May 2014.
  8. Web site: Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1983..
  9. Web site: Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1987..
  10. News: 彭摄政王表示当局 检讨囘敎行政法案加强州回敎事务工作. Sin Chew Jit Poh. 25 October 1980. 6.
  11. http://warisanpermaisuri.blogspot.be/2013/01/susunan-kekananan-yang-di-pertuan.html List of Malay rulers
  12. Web site: DK I 1985. awards.selangor.gov..