The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is the monarch and Malaysia's head of state. His proclamation and role has been defined under the constitution.
As the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah's term was coming to an end, as stipulated in the constitution, the Conference of Rulers met on Oct 14 and elected Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan as the successor to Tuanku Abdul Halim.
Tuanku Abdul Halim, the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the only one so far to reign twice, bade farewell and returned to his home state yesterday. From today, Dec 13, it is the Kelantan monarch's turn to rule.
OATH OF OFFICE
So how is Sultan Muhammad V going to start his reign?
As stipulated in the constitution, to mark his acceptance of the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V will be taking an oath of office.
The monarch will be reading the oath before the Conference of Rulers in a special ceremony at Istana Negara tomorrow.
Constitutional Law expert Associate Prof Dr Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz told Bernama that many aspects of the installation process such as the proclamation of 'Daulat Tuanku' (Long Live the King) and the number of military personnel escorting him are part of a set of protocol.
"Before exercising his functions as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he has to take and subscribe the oath of office, as stated in Article 37, Part Three, Schedule Four of the Federal Constitution," said Shamrahayu, the Main Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Shariah, Law and Politics at the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM).
The oath summarises the main responsibilities of the of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which covers four aspects:
*to perform duties in accordance to Malaysia's laws and constitution;
*to uphold the country's laws;
*to fulfill the rules of the law and order and promote good governance of the country;
*to protect Islamic as the religion of the federation at all times
MORE VISIBLE
"Perhaps there are many who do not see the function of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in times of political stability.
"But times are changing. The state of unity within the Malays and between the races are changing as well. I believe that the role and authority of the King would become more visible in the future, as called for by the constitution," she opined.
She said the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was often misinterpreted as merely symbolic.
In fact, many likened the Malaysian monarchy to the English monarchy.
Shamrahayu stressed the two were not the same.
"The English monarchy is not recognised in the country's written laws.
"This is different from the constitutional monarchy system practiced in Malaysia where the role and functions of the monarchy is in the written constitution.
"This means that if it is in the written constitution, we have to abide by it because it is the country's most important law," she explained further.
ROLES OF THE AGONG
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has a role in all three branches of the government which are executive, legal and judiciary, as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.
In the executive branch, His Majesty has the power to appoint a prime minister and to refuse a prime minister's request to dissolve the Parliament.
Shamrahayu said the constitution did not set any requisite on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in executing his duty to appoint a prime minister, except that the candidate has the support of the majority of MPs.
"People usually think that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong decides based on the advice of the prime minister.
"It is true that His Majesty can do that, but there are matters where the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has discretionary powers to act on, as stipulated in the constitution," she said.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong can also call a meeting with the Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also has a significant role in appointing an attorney general and judges based on the advice of the prime minister.
He is also given the power to grant amnesty or delay sentencing on any crime tried in the Military Court and crimes committed within the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in addition to being the Head of Islam in the four states ruled by appointed Governors, in the three Federal Territories as well as in his own state.
"We have a constitution that puts the monarch as the Head of State and provides him with discretionary powers in certain areas.
"At the same time, we also have a democratic government. Both systems should balance out each other," said Shamrahayu.
ELECTION OF THE YANG DI-PERTUAN AGONG
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected by the Conference of Rulers to hold the position for five years.
After the completion of his term, His Majesty will be succeeded by another monarch, based on the same selection system.
Schedule Three of the Federal Constitution provides that a Ruler is not eligible for election as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong if:
* The Ruler is a minor, or
* The Ruler has notified the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal that he does not wish to be elected, or
* The Conference of Rulers by a secret ballot resolves that the Ruler is unsuitable by reason of infirmity of mind or body, or for any other cause, to exercise the functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The resolution requires at least five members of the Conference to vote in favour of it.
During the selection process, the Conference of Rulers will first offer the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to the Ruler of a state that was currently first in the selection list.
If the Ruler refuses the position, the Conference of Rulers is required to offer the position to the Ruler of the state next in the list, and so on, until a Ruler accepts the position.
The Malay Rulers who are qualified to select and hold the position as Malaysia's Head of State are the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, the Sultan of Selangor, Raja of Perlis, the Sultan of Terengganu, the Sultan of Kedah, the Sultan of Kelantan, the Sultan of Pahang, the Sultan of Johor and the Sultan of Perak.
This is the second time that the Sultan of Kelantan is elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Prior to the election of Sultan Muhammad V, his grandfather, the late Sultan Yahya Petra ibni Sultan Ibrahim held the position of the 6th Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1976 to 1979. -- Bernama
Bernama
Mon Dec 12 2016
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is the monarch and Malaysia's head of state. His proclamation and role has been defined under the constitution. - Astro AWANI / Shahir Omar
28,531 calon UPKK 2023 raih 8A
28,531 daripada 230,580 calon yang menduduki Ujian Penilaian Kelas KAFA (UPKK) 2023 berjaya catat keputusan cemerlang A dalam kesemua lapan mata pelajaran.
Dua individu ditahan bantu siasatan minta, terima sogokan daripada firma guaman
SPRM menahan dua individu selama empat hari bagi membantu siasatan berkaitan penerimaan wang suapan daripada beberapa firma guaman.
Operasi PeWA: JPJ Pulau Pinang sita 22 kenderaan, keluar 63 saman
JPJ Pulau Pinang menyita 22 kenderaan yang dipandu warga asing dalam Ops Khas Pemandu Warga Asing (PeWA) di Bulatan Tun Hussain Onn, Seberang Jaya.
Lisa BLACKPINK beli rumah ‘tersorok’ di Beverly Hills, harga RM19 juta
Tidak ada yang mengejutkan apabila Lisa BLACKPINK telah menambah satu lagi aset berbentuk kediaman.
Stoking tertera kalimah Allah: Hukuman penjara, denda terhadap Wai Loong dibatalkan
Hakim membenarkan semakan difailkan tertuduh supaya pengakuan bersalah dibuatnya atas pertuduhan berkenaan, bukan akuan jelas dan tanpa bersyarat.
[TERKINI] Letusan Gunung Ruang: Indonesia keluar amaran tahap tertinggi
Pihak berkuasa Indonesia meningkatkan amaran keselamatan ke tahap tertinggi selepas Gunung Ruang yang meletus beberapa kali di Kepulauan Sangihe kelmarin, mengeluarkan asap setinggi lebih 1.6 kilometer (km) sehingga memaksa ratusan penduduk dipindahkan.
Mengenang sumbangan dan jasa Joseph Kurup
Pensyarah Kanan Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Dr Romzi Ationg berkongsi pandangan dan memperingati sumbangan dan jasa mendiang Joseph Kurup.
Ronaldo digantung dua perlawanan kerana berkelakuan ganas
Cristiano Ronaldo digantung dua perlawanan kerana menyiku lawan dan mengancam menyerang pengadil selepas Al Nassr tewas kepada Al Hilal.
PBAPP akan lepas air dari EMD jika Sungai Muda terus menyusut
PBAPP boleh melepaskan maksimum 600 juta liter air mentah sehari (JLH) dari EMD yang berfungsi sebagai sumber sokongan kemarau apabila Sungai Muda terus menyusut berikutan cuaca kering.
TikTok mulakan ujian untuk aplikasi perkongsian gambar dan teks
TikTok Notes akan memudahkan perkongsian perkembangan harian dengan lebih mudah dan kreatif menggunakannya.
Mesyuarat Khas Majlis Raja-Raja hari ini memilih Agong ke-17
Mesyuarat Khas Majlis Raja-Raja akan berlangsung hari ini bagi memilih Yang di-Pertuan Agong ke-17.
Agong zahir ucapan Selamat Hari Polis ke-216, hargai pengorbanan warga PDRM
Seri Paduka turut menyanjungi dan menzahirkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan kepada seluruh pesara PDRM atas pengorbanan yang dicurahkan.
Pasca PRU15: Seruan Agong, MRR usaha untuk masyarakat lebih bersatu - Lee Lam Thye
Rakyat perlu memberi respons yang sama dengan cara menzahirkan sokongan terhadap kerajaan perpaduan.
Pasca PRU15: Pejabat Anwar terus jadi tumpuan media
Teka-teki siapa bakal menjadi Perdana Menteri ke-10 terus menjadi tanda tanya.
Pasca PRU15: GPS serah kepada Agong lantik PM baharu
GPS menegaskan bahawa kepentingan negara adalah lebih diutamakan dan penubuhan kerajaan yang stabil mengambil kira kepentingan rakyat dan negara melebihi kepentingan peribadi.
Pandangan Tommy Thomas langgar Perlembagaan Persekutuan
Negara mengalami Parlimen tergantung di atas keputusan sah dan mandat rakyat yang diberi di PRU15 pada 19 November lalu.
Tindakan 12 menteri PN hantar surat kepada Agong disifatkan tidak wajar
Tindakan 12 menteri itu secara tidak langsung melambangkan ketidakpercayaan mereka terhadap kerajaan pimpinan Perdana Menteri.
Penyokong Najib serah memorandum mohon pengampunan Agong
Kira-kira 300 penyokong bekas Perdana Menteri itu diketuai oleh Pertubuhan Jalinan Perpaduan Negara Malaysia berkumpul di hadapan Istana Negara untuk menyerahkan memorandum berkenaan.
Agong, Raja Permaisuri berkenan rasmi Nicol David Organisation
Seri Paduka berdua turut berkenan beramah mesra dengan kanak-kanak yang menyertai program utama NDO, 'Little Legends'.
Agong zahir penghargaan kepada petugas barisan hadapan - PM
Seri Paduka juga ucap tahniah kepada kerajaan dalam menangani bencana banjir terutama dalam soal pengagihan bantuan yang pantas.