His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar was sworn in as the 17th King of Malaysia at a ceremony at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, marking the beginning of his five-year reign, Malaysian media reported.
Johor-born Sultan Ibrahim, 65, was dressed in formal ceremonial attire known as muscat and royal regalia consisting of a royal headdress, buckler and short dagger. The king and his consort, Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah, entered Balairung Seri of Istana Negara throne room around 10.20 a.m.
The Queen was dressed in a golden baju kurung and the couple entered the hall to the sounds of nafiri – a type of trumpet – and the melody of Raja Berangkat played by the royal orchestra. Once the King and Queen were seated, Grand Chamberlain, Datuk Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini approached them to seek His Majesty’s consent to begin the ceremony.
The Grand Chamberlain then brought into the hall a copy of the Quran and the rest of the regalia, including the government keris, a dagger symbolising royal power and authority, the proclamation letter and the oath of office. The King also kissed a copy of the Al Quran to signify the beginning of the installation.
The Grand Chamberlain then handed the proclamation letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who read it out and formally proclaimed Sultan Ibrahim as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Sultan Ibrahim was then handed the government keris which he placed on the table to his left before taking the oath of office as the new King of Malaysia. Immediately after the oath of office, the Grand Chamberlain led the hall in proclaiming “Daulat Tuanku (Long Live the King)” three times.
The national anthem was then played, as well as a 21-gun royal salute. Datuk Seri Anwar, representing the government and the people, delivered a congratulatory message to the King and Queen. Sultan Ibrahim then addressed the nation with a royal speech. He promised to lead the country in a fair and just way and expressed gratitude to those who made the installation ceremony a success.
After the royal address, a prayer was recited and then the Grand Chamberlain took the Quran from the throne and announced that the ceremony was officially over.
