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It’s not every day that a King gets to inherit a monarchy twice in his life, but Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah can say he did. The 84 year old assumed the Malaysian throne Tuesday in accordance to his country’s electoral monarchy system.
 Click here to see more photos Every five years, the Sultans of Malaysia’s nine states vote on who would be next to be the head of state. The last time Sultan Abdul Halim was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia was in 1970. This is the first time in Malaysian history that someone became head of state for the second time.
The newest leader hails from the northern state of Kedah. He enjoys football/soccer and likes listening to Frank Sinatra.
Tuesday saw Sultan Abdul Halim and his wife, Queen Haminah, attend the ceremony of his enthronement. He inspected a military honor guard and received a 21-gun salute at Parliament. The Sultan was then sworn in to the office.
He is not only Malaysia’s 14th King, but also its oldest ever.
Although the role of King is largely ceremonial, he is looked upon by Muslim Malaysians as a symbol of Islam. He is also seen as the upholder of Malaysian traditions.
“The King is the umbrella to the people and the people are the pillars of the King,” Sultan Abdul Halim said in comments issued through the national news agency, Bernama. “The King’s greatest role is to ensure there will be no cruelty and destruction to the people and to the country.”
The term Yang di-Pertuan Agong literally means “He who is made Lord”. But it is usually translated as “Supreme Ruler”.
Sources: Reuters, AP
The Sultan of Malaysia, Mizan Zainal Abidin, ended his five year term as the head of state Monday. The country allows its nine Sultans to reign over all of Malaysia for five years, and today marked the end of Mizan’s time as the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
 Click here to see more photos at Daylife.com The ceremonial leave started in the morning with the Sultan and his wife, Nur Zahirah, at the palace, Istana Negara. They shook hands with the 500 staff members before heading to Parliament Square for the official ceremony.
There, the couple were greeted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to the sound of trumpets. Once at the dais, Malaysia’s national anthem was played, followed by a 21-gun salute.
The outgoing Sultan then inspected the honor guard. After that came a prayer done by Federal Territory Mufti Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh. The ceremony ended with the Royal Salute and another playing of the national anthem.
Mizan and Nur then shook hands with members of the cabinet, national departments and foreign diplomats, and climbed into a car which drove them to the airport so they could fly to the state where they originally came from, Terengganu.
Malaysia has nine states, and each state has a Sultan who reigns for life. They all take turns being head of state every five years.
Sultan Mizan is being remembered as a humble person, who reigned during a smooth term.
“Under His Majesty’s reign, state matters were smoothly conducted. The King’s support is also highly appreciated by members of the Cabinet,” Prime Minister Najib said at the banquet held to mark the end of Tuanku Mizan’s term at Istana Negara on Saturday.
The Sultan was also known for promoting peace between Malaysia’s many ethnic groups and religions.
Tuesday will see the installment of the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah.
To learn about the powers of Malaysian sultans, click here.
Source: Bernama, Wikipedia
The Malaysian state of Perak is in mourning as its former Queen was laid to rest on Friday. Raja Muzwin Raja Ariff Shah, who was the late Raja Perempuan of Perak, died Thursday at the age of 82 at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
 Click here for more information and photos at Radin's Blog Members of Malaysia’s nine royal families, politicians and members of the public gathered for Raja Muzwin’s funeral. She was the wife of the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Shah II, who reigned from 1963 to 1984. She was also the mother of the consort of the current Sultan of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofiah.
The coffin carrying Raja Muzwin’s remains were carried from the palace to the Masjid Ubuddiah for funeral rites and prayers.
After the prayers, the casket was taken to Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum where the late Queen was laid to rest beside her husband.
Surviving Raja Muzwin are her four children: daughters Raja Zarith Sofiah and Raja Nadzatul Shima, and sons Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain and Raja Jamil Ariffin.
Malaysia consists of nine states, each having their own Sultan. Each Sultan takes a turn to be the head of state every five years.
To learn more about Malaysian royalty check out this fantastic blog: http://radin87.blogspot.com/
Source: Bernama, Radin’s Blog
On Monday, the Prince of a Malaysian state sparked a royal row by taking the throne against his ailing father’s wishes. 40 year-old regent Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra’s move is the latest in a feud involving his father and his brother.
 The Star The new Sultan of the Kelantan state has been embroiled in a bitter rivalry with his brother, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry, since their father, Tengku Ismail Petra, suffered a stroke more than a year ago.
By taking the throne, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra has likely worsened the situation. Already his brother lawyer said in a statement on Sunday that their father would challenge Faris’ ascension as being unlawful. It is said the lawyers will challenge the installation.
However, Faris deposed Tengku Ismail Petra through an amendment to the Kelantan constitution which states that the Sultan shall cease to be on the throne if he is incapacitated for more than one year.
It is also being reported that the Council of Succession, which determines who ascends to the thrones of Malaysia’s states, made the decision. Faris has removed Fakhry from the Council in September 2009.
In Malaysia, the Sultans of each of the nine states take turns being Sultan of the country every five years. They are considered the rulers and guardians of Islam in their respective states.
Sources: AP, AFP
 AFP/File/Stringer The Sultan of the Malaysian state of Pahang reduced the sentence of a Muslim woman who was caught drinking beer in a hotel last year. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, age 33, was originally supposed to face six caning lashes but instead, will serve a three week community service at a children’s home.
“I am shocked with the decision,” Kartika, who learned about it from a letter to her family, told reporters on Friday.
“Why they substitute with community service when this punishment is not provided under the religious laws?”
“They already sentenced me so they should follow it, but I will respect the sultan’s decision.”
Kartika said she told Pahang’s Sultan, Ahmad Shah, that she wanted to be caned so other Muslims could learn from her mistake.
“I really regret drinking, it’s my mistake.”
In Malaysia, the Sultans have power in the religious courts of their states.
Sources: AFP, News Straits Times
A Malaysian Prince won a defamation suit on Thursday against his wife, a former Indonesian teen model who accused him of rape and physical abuse during their short lived marriage in May 2009.
 AFP/File Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, a Prince from northern Kelantan state, was awarded 6 million ringgit, or 1.8 million dollars, in the defamation suit by default last November after his estranged wife, Manohara Odelia Pinot, and her mother failed to file a countersuit. Pinot and her mother have been ordered to pay by the judge.
Manohara’s lawyer Farhat Abas told AFP in Jakarta that she would “never” pay the compensation.
“This is a cruel verdict,” Farhat said. “We will study the verdict first and then file an appeal against the ruling.”
Manohara married Tengky Fakhry in October of 2008 in what the local media described as a fairy-tale wedding. But by May, she had escaped her husband during a visit to Singapore. She accused him of torture, rape, holding her captive and even drugging her in order to harm her.
Medical examinations confirmed that Manohara had been abused.
Despite this, she and her mother refused to testify in court during the defamation suit. They also did not appoint lawyers to represent them.
Meanwhile, Tengku Fakhry will file a suit in Jakarta, where Manohara and her mother live.
There is also a divorce proceeding going through the religious courts though it is still pending.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway finalized their official visit to Malaysia Wednesday. They spent their last two days promoting their country and social awareness, as well as touring some of Malaysia’s landmarks.
 Royal Press Europe/Albert Nierboer Yesterday, Haakon was present at the seminar “Malaysian-Norwegian Forum of Competence” in Kuala Lumpur. In his opening speech, he talked about how the two nations had strong connections due to petroleum-related activities. The Crown Prince voiced how he wished that cooperation would continue in other fields.
Haakon then visited the Petronas Towers and the national petroleum company of Malaysia with the same name. The towers were the world’s tallest buildings when construction was done in 1998.
Joining him was wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She had just come from a gender equality seminar, where the discussion was on how women can overcome obstacles in society. The Crown Princess pointed out that the family gives a woman support. “Family friendly policies are a prerequisite for women and men to combine work and family. If we are to meet today’s challenges, women and men must be able to take part in family and working life on an equal footing. Family-friendly policy is vital, both for production and for reproduction.”
The Crown Princely couple also attended an award ceremony for Malaysian students, held by the communications company, DiGi. The students had to develop solutions for energy-efficient mobile communications and renewable energy for poor communities in Malaysia. Haakon also gave a speech there.
“Preserving the environment on our planet can be regarded as the greatest team building session the world has ever seen. Everybody has a role to play. We must all pull together at the national and international level, governments and businesses, cities and small communities alike. Then we can hope for a greener future.”
Later, the Crown Prince went to the Berjaya University College of Hospitality. There, students held a cooking competition by trying to create the best dish featuring Norwegian salmon, Malay style.
 REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad On Wednesday, Mette-Marit opened an exhibition of Norwegian architecture. She emphasized the importance of looking beyond national borders for inspiration.
“Seeking inspiration from other countries is extremely important. Traditionally, Norwegian architects have traveled widely in order to learn from others. Today, Norwegian architects are also contributing to the international architecture scene through lectures, seminars and exhibitions, and by winning awards and competitions abroad,” she said.
While that was happening, Haakon was at a seminar on sustainable forestry and climate before going to the company facilities of Jotun and Aker Solutions.
Finally, the royal couple were given a guided tour of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Shah Alam outside Kuala Lumpur before ending their trip and returning to Norway.
The Norwegian Crown Princely couple started their three day official visit to Malaysia Monday, on the anniversary of bilateral ties between the two nations. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit arrived Kuala Lumpur and were greeted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, at at Dataran Perdana where they received a state welcome.
 REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad Haakon inspected a 103-man honor guard and men of the first battalion Royal Malay Regiment while at the Perdana. Afterward, he and his wife held talks with the Prime Minister.
The couple then went to the Istana Negara for an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Nur Zahirah.
Haakon and Mette-Marit are accompanied by 130 representatives of Norwegian business and trade leaders, who along with the royal couple will promote Norway to Malaysia. Prior to this visit, the Crown Prince told the Malaysian media that he hoped to broaden ties between this country and his.
The royals of Malaysia are getting involved in the controversy over a Muslim woman who was sentenced to six caning strokes last year for drinking beer. On Wednesday, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 33, met with the Crown Prince of the Pahang state, the same place where she drank the beverage at a hotel bar.
 AFP “Kartika had an audience with the Pahang Crown Prince for about 30 minutes this morning but we are not in a position to make any comment on what transpired,” Kartika’s spokesman Amlir Ayat told AFP.
“Any decision or announcement will be made by the palace.” Amlir said.
Ms. Shukarno’s sentence was suspended six months ago and it is believed that it will be carried out following her meeting with the Pahang royal. She previously asked for authorities to punish her as planned.
This issue has brought up whether multi-ethnic Malaysia is becoming too strict religiously. Recently, three women were caned for having sex out of wedlock.
As for Pahang Crown Prince Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, he told state media that he would discuss Kartika’s case with the Sultan soon.
“This case will be settled as soon as possible. It just needs scrutiny in terms of the implementation of the penalty,” he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.
The Crown Prince said Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin can pardon Ms. Shukarno.
Prince Muhammad Fakhry of the Kelantan state of Malaysia, the husband of an Indonesian teen model, is suing both her and her mother for defamation.
 - AFP File
In late May, Manohara Odelia Pinot accused the 31 year-old prince of drugging her and sexually assaulting her during their 10 month marriage. She managed to escape him during a visit to Singapore.
Now, her estranged husband is suing her and her mother, Daisy Fajarina for 105 million ringgit, the equivalent of 30 million U.S. dollars.
Prince Fakhry’s lawyer, Mohamad Haaziq Pillay, says he would serve a writ on Pinot and her mother.
“They have 21 days to enter a (response)…. Anyone can say anything but do they have proof? This is the time for them to come forward and prove their allegations,” he was quoted as telling state news agency Bernama.
Recent medical examinations back up Pinot’s claims.
She also tried to file abuse charges against the prince, but since the alleged assault took place in Malaysia, Indonesian police can do very little.
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