By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Feb 25: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has been described as ‘quite a strategist’ in handling the country’s first political impasse which Malaysia has never experienced before.
Unimas’ Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities senior lecturer, Dr Arnold Puyok said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is now seen as the man who could eventually settle the current political crisis to bring the country forward.
“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has a pivotal role in ending the political impasse. He has so far shown that he has the legal and political acumen to address the situation. He could be the single most potent force that could end the political crisis,” Arnold told DayakDaily here today.
Current news indicated that the Agong has been fair to all political leaders in the country and is now interviewing all the MPs at the Istana.
Meanwhile, according to Bernama, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had said that he will carry out his duties to seek the best solution in addressing the current political turmoil.
“First of all, let me do my duties…I hope we will find the best solution for the country.
“We are very concerned. Be patient,” the King said before personally handing over fast-food meals to members of the media who had waited at Gate 2 of Istana Negara here today.
Now who is this King who can put a stop to this nonsensical political deadlock?
According to Wikipedia, Al-Sultan Abdullah was born July 30, 1959. He was proclaimed as Sultan on 15 January 2019, succeeding his father, Sultan Ahmad Shah, whose abdication was decided at a Royal Council meeting on 11 January.
On Jan 24 2019, days after his accession to the throne of Pahang, he was elected as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and was sworn in on Jan 31, 2019.
Tengku Abdullah received his primary education at St. Thomas Primary School, and St. Thomas Secondary School, both located in Pekan, Kuantan. He went to Aldenham School, Elstree Hertfordshire, from 1975 until 1978 and Davis College, London from 1978 to 1979.
He also attended The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from 1979 to 1980 as well as Worcester College Oxford and Queen Elizabeth College, receiving a Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy upon his graduation in 1981.
Tengku Abdullah was appointed as the Tengku Mahkota, the crown prince of Pahang on July 1, 1975. He was formally installed on Oct 23 1977 at Istana Abu Bakar, Pekan.
He was appointed as the Regent of Pahang twice.
The first time was when his father was elected as Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, where he became Regent for five years, starting from 26 April 1979 until 25 April 1984.
When his father’s health deteriorated in 2016, Abdullah served again as the Regent from Dec 28, 2016 until he ascended to the throne and became the Sultan of Pahang in 2019.
On Jan 15, 2019, at the age of 59, Abdullah was proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang upon the abdication of his father due to ill health. The ceremony took place at Istana Abu Bakar, the official residence of the Sultan of Pahang. His reign was declared retroactively began on Jan 11, 2019, the day the Regency Council decided his succession.
Upon his accession to the throne of Pahang, Abdullah took the regnal title Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Tengku Abdullah married to the Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Almarhum Sultan Iskandar. She is one of the sisters of the current Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor. They have four sons and two daughters together.
In 1991, Tengku Abdullah married his second wife, former actress Julia Rais and they have three daughters.— DayakDaily
