KUALA LUMPUR: Before entering the Pahang Royal council meeting room at a hotel here, Regent of Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said: “Doakan yang terbaik” (pray for the best).
He uttered those words in front of members of the press before walking into the room.
The Regent is expected to chair the Royal council meeting but the timeline of the meeting is unknown.
Earlier, Tengku Abdullah witnessed the installation of the new State Secretary, Datuk Seri Dr Sallehuddin Ishak, at the same venue.
Tengku Abdullah in a brief speech during the installation ceremony congratulated Dr Sallehuddin on his appointment and advised him to carry out his duties as the state Secretary responsibly.
He also thanked former State Secretary Datuk Seri Muhammad Safian Ismail for his services to the state.
On Monday, the Conference of Rulers fixed Jan 24 for a meeting to select the new king and Jan 31 for the oath-taking ceremony, following an unprecedented move by Sultan Muhammad V to step down on Sunday.
In terms of monarch seniority in the rotation system, Pahang ranks seventh out of nine states. Sultan Ahmad was the seventh king elected in 1979.
It was reported that the Pahang Royal household will meet this week to discuss the possibility of Tengku Abdullah ascending as sultan of Pahang.
The proposal, if accepted, would see Tengku Abdullah’s installation as the sixth modern Sultan of Pahang on Friday and effectively pave the way for his election as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, based on the rotation system.