Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim of Johor sworn in as new king of Malaysia

Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s new king on Wednesday, in a ceremony held at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.

He signed the instrument of the proclamation of office in a ceremony in the presence of other royal families, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cabinet members. The new king’s coronation ceremony will be held later.

Under Malaysia’s unique rotational monarchy system, the heads of the country’s nine royal families take turns to be the King, known as the “Yang di-Pertuan Agong” (He Who is Made Lord ) every five years.

Who is Sultan Ibrahim?

Sultan Ibrahim, 65, hails from the historic state of Johor, whose sultanate boasts a lineage tracing back to the 16th century.

Known for his forthrightness, Sultan Ibrahim has quite often weighed in on Malaysia’s political issues. He has stated that he shares a good relationship with the current prime minister.

An AP news report states that in an interview given to the Singapore Straits Times, Ibrahim said he would not want to waste five years on the throne as a “puppet king” but will focus on fighting graft and deepening unity in the country.

One of the richest men in the country, he owns an extensive collection of luxury cars and motorbikes and has diverse business interests ranging from real estate to a stake in the $100-billion China-backed Forest City project off Johor’s coast.

According to Bloomberg reports, at an airport not far away, his family’s fleet of private jets features three Gulfstreams and a gold-and-blue Boeing 737.

The sultan has publicly advocated establishing a special economic zone between Johor and neighbouring Singapore to strengthen ties and last year said he planned to revive a stalled high-speed rail project between Malaysia and the city-state. Johor is also the only sultanate allowed to maintain its own private army – which was part of the deal the state to join the Federation of Malaya before the country’s independence in 1957.

With close ties to the leadership of Singapore and business partners that include one of China’s biggest property developers, the sultan is poised to have more influence on both domestic and foreign policy than any previous Malaysian monarch, a Bloomberg report mentioned.

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