KUALA LUMPUR: The installation of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Tuesday will feature aesthetic values and have the personal touch of Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, thus recording memorable moments for Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong.
Tunku Azizah has been playing an important role to ensure that the historic occasion, a highlight of the system of constitutional monarchy, proceeds smoothly. Her Majesty is directly involved in the preparations for the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the head of state in a glorious ceremony in accordance with the heritage of the Malay Sultanate.
The installation will certainly be of historical significance and sentimental value to Their Majesties because it takes place on the 60th birthday of Sultan Abdullah.
Another matter of historical significance is that Their Majesties are both the children of sultans who have been elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Sultan Abdullah is the eldest son of the late Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah of Pahang, who was the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1979-1984), while Tunku Azizah is the third daughter of the late Sultan Iskandar of Johor, the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1984-1989).
In her desire to capture the historic moment of 40 years ago, Tunku Azizah has expressed the wish to use the throne as well as the royal costume worn by both her parents and in-laws at the installation come Tuesday.
“I said to Tuanku (SuItan Abdullah) I want to sit on the throne that my mother sat on and your mother sat on, and I want you to sit on the throne that your father sat on and my father sat on. These thrones have been refurbished. So, for Tuanku (Sultan Abdullah) and me, it is a very special day as we are actually going to use the thrones that our parents used when they were the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” she said.
To make the occasion even more nostalgic, Their Majesties’ youngest daughter, Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah will wear the costume worn by Tunku Azizah when she witnessed her father being installed as the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“I have carefully kept the costume that I wore on the day that my father was installed as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. My youngest, Jihan, is going to wear the baju (costume) that I wore to my father’s installation. Jihan herself requested to wear the costume. Maybe, on that day, I will cry …,” said Tunku Azizah in a special interview with Bernama at Istana Negara.
Tunku Azizah also wants Sultan Abdullah to wear costumes such as the muscat (royal attire), tanjak (headgear), bengkung (buckle) and samping (sarong worn with Baju Melayu) used by the late Sultan Ahmad Shah when he was installed as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1979.
Tunku Azizah recalled the close relationship between her late father and late father-in-law and said both of them wore the same muscat during their installations as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, respectively.
Initially, the late Sultan Iskandar did not want to wear the muscat as he wanted to wear the military uniform he often wore at official functions in Johor.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the fourth prime minister, sought an audience a week before the installation and appealed to Sultan Iskandar to wear the muscat.
“My father (Sultan Iskandar) said there was no way the attire could be prepared in just one week. Then my father asked me to seek an audience with Tuanku Pahang (the Sultan of Pahang). Azizah, please seek an audience with Tuanku Pahang and request whether Bah (Sultan Iskandar’s reference to himself among his children) can borrow his jacket.
“So, the muscat and tengkolok (headgear) that my father wore actually belonged to the Sultan of Pahang. It has been worn by two kings. I have kept the muscat carefully for 40 years, from 1979, to have the blessings of both our fathers. I thought Tuanku (Sultan Abdullah) would be able to wear it for the installation but it does not fit him well,” she said.
The new muscat to be worn by Sultan Abdullah has its own aesthetic value as it also features the official designs similar to the one used by the two kings.
Tunku Azizah is directly involved in giving ideas and ensuring the details of every important element, from the beginning to the end, including designing the Warkah Persilaan (instrument of invitation), Their Majesties’ costumes, palace staff attire, cuisine for the royal banquet and guests as well as souvenirs.
The Warkah Persilaan inviting the Malay Rulers, Yang Dipertuas Negeri and royal and foreign guests to grace the installation of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong was designed by Tunku Azizah herself. It features the coat of arms of the states, symbolising the unity of the Malay Rulers.
Tunku Azizah, who gives importance to perfection, inherited the talent to sew and paint from her mother, Enche’ Besar Hajah Kalsom Abdullah. She herself designed the samping that Sultan Abdullah will wear at the installation. She sewed the fabric that was woven at Istana Brunei.
“Meticulous, that’s me. I want everything to be just right and nice. Tuanku has yet to be installed in his own state. So, I want perfection at the upcoming installation,” said Her Majesty, expressing the hope that the important ceremony will proceed smoothly and provide her and Sultan Abdullah with beautiful moments to cherish. – Bernama
