Malaysia’s nine hereditary royal households come from a long line of sovereigns dating back 883 years.
The oldest is the Kedah sultanate. Records as presented by Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa or the Kedah annals, said that the royal family began when King Phra Ong Mahawangsa embraced Islam and ascended the Kedah throne as Sultan Mudzafar Shah in 1136.
That lineage of rulers from Kedah remains unbroken to this day. The state has produced 29 sultans from the same royal lineage.
The British throne, by comparison, has produced 41 kings and queens from six royal dynasties during the same period.
The six dynasties are Blois, House of Plantagenet and its cadet branches of Lancaster and York, Houses of Tudor, Stuart, Hanover and Windsor.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities senior lecturer, Assoc Prof Dr Kassim Tukiman said the strong relationship between Islam and the rulers is enshrined in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution, a tradition that remains unsullied to this day.
“You cannot have one without the other. The status of Islam in relation to the rulers is enshrined in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.
“If one removes the clause for rulers, the action will also take away the clause for Islam.”
This religious preservation factor is not only unique to the Malay royal institution. It is also prevalent in the Thai monarchy, which is the only other surviving monarchy in Southeast Asia apart from the Malay rulers of Malaysia and Brunei.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE MODELLED AFTER THE MALACCA SULTANATE
The synergy between rulers and the people built on the basis of Islam, has been nan intefgral part of nation-building since the time of the Malacca sultanate, a tributary empire which spread across the Malay peninsula and eastern Sumatera between 1403 and 1511.
Regarded as the golden age of malay history, the period ended with the Portuguese occupation of Malacca that eventually established the Old Johor sultanate.
The system of governance used during the Malacca sultanate was among the models that shaped the current system of government that makes it unique.
Pahang Royal Council member Datuk Seri Wan Abdul Wahid Wan Hassan said the Malay rulers of Malacca had a ‘Bendahara’ who played a role similar to a prime minister, chief minister and menteri besar.
There was also a ‘Penghulu Bendahari’, who functioned like a finance minister, ‘Laksamana’ who took charge of seafaring matters, ‘Temenggong’, who was in charge of policing and security, and Syahbandar’ who was in charge of ports.
“The ruler had a close rapport with these leaders, and they would in turn report to the ruler during scheduled times. This was the basis of what would eventually become the state legislative assembly or parliament,” said Wan Abdul Wahid.
Wan Abdul Wahid said the ways and traditions of the old Malay sultans were sustained due to wise and pragmatic styles of governance that were implemented based on Islamic teachings.
“People have always been aware that these are not absolute monarchies. And this has ensured that justice and peace are maintained throughout the ages.”
Wan Abdul Wahid, who holds the title of ‘Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan’ and is one of the four ‘Orang Besar Berempat’ in the Pahang royal court, said adherence to Islam encompassed many aspects of life.
“It was never about fearing the ruler, it was about fearing God.
As God-fearing rulers, they maintained a system of governance based on the teachings of Islam.
“As Malay Muslim rulers, they were responsible for all life in their domains, be it the Malays, non Malays, flora, fauna and even the smallest of ants,” he said.
This relationship between rulers and their subjects, he stressed, had led to tremendous progress for the people and the country.
PROTECTORS OF ISLAM AND GUARDIANS OF MALAY CUSTOMS
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia’s nationhood and history expert Dr Mohd Akbal Abdullah said that in Malaysia, the rulers were protectors of Islam and guardians of Malay customs, and this traditional practice and cultural awareness have been ingrained in society.
”It is somewhat similar to Thailand’s royal institution. Their sovereigns were strong due to a feudalistic system in the past and they endured because the king is the head of the Buddhist religion and Thai customs,” said Akbal.
Kassim pointed out that the Malay and Thai monarchies were part of a Malay polity of monarchies which shared certain traits.
Social justice and equality have always been the bedrock of the Malay royal institution and the people continued to pledge their allegiance to their rulers, with the latter never functioning as absolute monarchies.
According to Kassim, the spirit of Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy is based on a social contract that was practised since the time of the Malacca sultanate.
Kassim said the saying, “raja dan rakyat berpisah tiada” (the rulers and his subjects are inseparable), refers toasocial contract that was mentioned in Tun Sri Lanang’s Sulalatus Salatin (Genealogy of Kings), which is also known a Sejarah Melayu or the Malay annals.
“It was a social contract between the royals and their people which formed a reciprocal relationship between the two.”
The roles of the monarchs were also clear during the country’s road to independence in 1957.
After the first general election in 1955, negotiations for independence had involved the British colonialists, the Conference of Rulers and Parti Perikatan.
“The British previously arrived in the Malay states of Perak, Selangor and Pahang by entering into agreements with their respective sovereigns.
This was evident through the signing of documents such as the Pangkor Treaty.
“So it was only right for the British to give back the lands to the monarchs as well, upon independence, as the rulers were custodians of these states.”
This is where Malaysia’s experience with its monarchy differed from other countries in Southeast Asia.
The different paths taken in the nation-building process played a part in the demise of some of these monarchies which previously existed in the Malay archipelago.
Kassim said the royal lineages of Jogja, Srivijaya, Palembang, Siak and Riau-Lingga, for instance, did not survive due to the different nation-building process in Indonesia when its peoples sought to become a republic after gaining independence from the Dutch in 1945.
Much interest in the country’s royal institution was renewed with the unprecedented events which led to the resignation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V on Jan 6, a first in Malaysian history.
But subsequent events in which the nine hereditary sultans under the Conference of Rulers elected a new king without any issue, remain a testament to the wisdom and efficiency of the Malay royal institution.
A new era began when the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong AlSultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah took his oath on Jan 31.
As Malaysia advances through the 21st century, many still believe the highly revered monarchs continue to play a vital role in the country.
“Many people forget our country practises two systems, namely the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The constitutional monarchy is an institution that can still advise the parliamentary democracy system of politics.
“It is our system of checks and balances, and of course it works both ways. But in times of political crisis, who will save us? We will certainly look upon the royal institution,” said Kassim.
PART 2 TOMORROW