Malaysia prepares for ‘hands-on’ king as Johor Sultan takes the throne

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar will be installed as the country’s 17th king under a unique rotational monarchy.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The last time a Sultan from the state of Johor was on the throne of Malaysia in the late 1980s, the country was embroiled in a constitutional crisis as then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sought to clip the wings of the judiciary.

Now, as the current Johor Sultan becomes king, Malaysia is facing a corruption crackdown which has ensnared some of the most prominent political personalities of the Mahathir era, speculation of a pardon for disgraced former Prime Minister Najib Razak and continued political manoeuvring as part of a realignment that began in 2018.

“It is very likely that at some point, he will be called upon to adjudicate as to which side would have a more solid command of parliament,” Malaysian political analyst Oh Ei Sun told Al Jazeera. “It could happen any time.”

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, 65, will be installed as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, which will be broadcast live on state television.

He will serve for five years as part of Malaysia’s unique system of rotational monarchy under which the country’s nine hereditary rulers take turns to be the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or He Who is Made Lord.