Sultan Iskandar
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| His Royal Highness Sultan Iskandar | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (King of Malaysia) and Sultan of Johor | ||
| Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Ismail Al-Khalidi | ||
| Reign | Sultan of Johor - 1981 - now | |
| Coronation | 1981 | |
| Predecessor | Sultan Ismail | |
| Tengku Mahkota | Tunku Ibrahim Ismail Ungku Abdul Majid |
|
| Consort | Sultanah Zanariah | |
| Father | Sultan Ismail | |
In full, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Ismail Al-Khalidi (born April 8, 1932) in Johor Bahru was the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (roughly equivalent to King) of Malaysia from April 26, 1984 to April 25, 1989, and fourth Sultan of Johor.
The eldest son of Sultan Ismail ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim by Sultanah Ungku Tun Aminah binti Ungku Paduka Bena Sri Maharaja Utama Ahmad, the prince was named Tunku Mahmood Iskandar. However, popular belief was that as all other Sultans of Johor with the name "Mahmood" met with an uneasy end, he dropped his first name upon succeeding his father on May 10, 1981. In reality, since the reign of Sultan Ibrahim, the official royal emblem was a monogram with the letters 'S' & 'I' denoting his name ' Sultan Ibrahim' of which all of the eldest sons in the royal family was to have a name starting with the initial 'I' and thus Sultan Iskandar retained the monogram during his reign. This is also followed by the current 'Tunku Mahkota' or crown prince Tunku Ibrahim Ismail and his eldest son Tunku Ismail, the Raja Muda or the third in-line to the throne.
A controversial figure in Malaysia, Sultan Iskandar has led a chequered life. Appointed Tunku Mahkota or Crown Prince in 1959, he was dismissed from that post in 1961 by his father after being found guilty of assault in the Malaysian courts and sentenced to imprisonment. However, Sultan Ismail relented on his deathbed and restored Tunku Mahmood Iskandar to the succession ten days before the former died.
A keen soldier, Sultan Iskandar was often at loggerheads with the then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad while he was Sultan of Johor. However, in 1984, upon election as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Iskandar warmed to his Prime Minister and relationships between the two reached dizzying heights when Mahathir was invested with the first class family order of the crown of Johor, a previously unheard of honour for a commoner.
While he was Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Iskandar created further controversy by assaulting a golf caddy. A soldier, the brother of the caddy who was badly injured and subsequently ran amok in Kuala Lumpur causing a security scare. The soldier was later arrested and sent to a mental hospital.
His assault on a hockey coach and teacher, Mr Douglas Gomez (1940-1999) sparked a constitutional crisis between the government and the Malay Rulers which culminated in the removal of the legal immunity from prosecution of all the rulers in March 1993.
Sultan Iskandar, however, continues to be immune from prosecution for his previous offences as the law which provides for the rulers to be stripped of their legal immunity was not made retroactive. (i.e. having a backdating effect). He is an example of the weakness of the Malaysian Monarchy system where the Sultans are treated as untouchables, and above the law. The stripping of legal immunity is also toothless as families of Malay Rulers still flaunt the rules and engage in illegal activities such as gambling and drinking without any prosecution from the court of Islamic law.
Sultan Iskandar divorced the mother of his Crown Prince, a Cornish lady by the name of Josephine Trevorrow, in favour of Tengku Zanariah binti Tengku Panglima Raja Ahmad of the Kelantan royal family. She served as his Raja Permaisuri Agong and is the current Sultanah of Johor.
[edit] Further reading
- 04/11: Johor sultan calls for scrapping of causeway to Singapore
- Johor Sultan Tells Dr Mahathir To Act Like A Pensioner!
- Johor Sultan: Support Pak Lah
- JOHOR (Sultanate)
| Preceded by Sultan Ahmad Shah (Sultan of Pahang) |
Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) 1984 - 1989 |
Succeeded by Sultan Azlan Shah (Sultan of Perak) |
| Preceded by Sultan Ismail |
Sultan of Johor 1981- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
