Tengku Abdullah fully eligible to be next king
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THERE is no question about Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah’s eligibility as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said constitutional law experts, even if he is the most junior among all the nine Malay rulers in terms of tenure.
According to the constitution and the Conference of Rulers, a candidate for Agong needs only be be one of the nine sultans who is an adult.
Since 1994, the rulers have used a rotation system among nine states to select the candidate for Agong. Under this system, it is Pahang’s turn to provide the candidate after Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan stepped down last week.
As for whether Tengku Abdullah was a senior enough sultan to qualify for the post of Agong, Zainal said this was moot as, according to the constitution, a ruler only has to be of adult age and willing to accept the post.
Questions concerning Tengku Abdullah’s qualification as a candidate for Agong had surfaced as he would only be a sultan for nine days before the Conference of Rulers meets to elect the king.
Tengku Abdullah, who is formerly the Pahang regent, will be formally installed as sultan on January 15.
He would take over from his father, the 88-year-old Sultan Ahmad Shah Sultan Abu Bakar, whose ailing health could see him pass over the chance to helm the country’s highest post when the Agong’s election takes place on January 24.
Another constitutional expert, Dr Azmi Sharom of Universiti Malaya, said nothing in the law states that a sultan must serve a certain number of years as head of his state to qualify as a candidate for Agong.
“I don’t think you need a CV (curriculum vitae) to be king, as long as you are of age and meet the requirements stated in the Constitution,” Azmi reportedly said during a talk on a television programme on Friday.
According to the Conference of Rulers website, only sultans who are minors or have stated that they do not want to be elected Agong are ineligible.
Last hurdle
Tengku Abdullah, however, still has to clear one last hurdle to become Agong – get a majority support from his fellow eight Malay rulers when they meet to elect the Agong.
According to the Conference of Rulers, a candidate for Agong must secure a majority of five votes to be chosen. Only the nine Malay rulers can be candidates and only they can vote.
Each of the nine will have to state whether a candidate is “suitable” or “unsuitable” to be Agong.
International Islamic University Malaysia law lecturer Associate Professor Shamrahayu Abd Aziz said if the Pahang ruler was deemed suitable by his fellow sultans and wins five votes out of nine, he will be the next king.
“But if the ruler himself declines the appointment, the Conference of Rulers will make the offer to the next sultan in line,” she said.
If one candidate does not receive the necessary votes, the election process begins again with the ruler next on the rotation list.
In this case, it is the sultan of Johor, followed by the sultan of Perak.
Once an Agong is chosen, an election will be held for the post of deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong by the same procedure.
The conference will meet again on January 31 to administer the oath of office on the newly elected king and his deputy. – January 13, 2019.