Sultan of Perak dies at 86

Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah (pic) has died, Menteri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir announced in Kuala Kangsar today. He was 86.

He is survived by Tuanku Bainun Mohamad Ali, a former teacher, and their four children.

The eldest is Raja Nazrin Shah, who is the current Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Datuk Seri Azureen Shah, Raja Eleena and Raja Yong Sofia.

Another son, Raja Ashman Shah, died in 2012.

Sultan Azlan Shah was crowned the 34th ruler of the silver state following the death of his uncle, Sultan Idris Shah, in 1984.

Prior to becoming the state ruler, he held the highest position in the Malaysian judiciary, being appointed Lord President of the Federal Court in 1982.

Azlan Shah later became the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong and served from 1989 to 1994.

He was also the former Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia and is currently the Chancellor of Universiti Malaya.

Sultan Azlan had been the Malaysian Hockey Federation president until 2005 and remained the president of the Asian Hockey Federation and an executive board member of the global body for the sport, the International Hockey Federation.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament is an annual hockey tournament which features the top hockey nations and is played in Ipoh.

Raja Azlan Shah was born on April 19, 1928, in Batu Gajah, Perak.

He is the son of Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah (1948-1963) by his commoner wife Toh Puan Dewangsa Khadijah Ahmad.

The young Raja Azlan Shah was brought up by his mother outside royal circles.

His early education was at the Government English School, Batu Gajah, now known as SMK Sultan Yussuf.

His secondary education was at the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar, before he left for the United Kingdom to read law at the University of Nottingham.

He obtained his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1953 and was admitted to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn on November 23, 1954.

On his return, he served as the assistant State Secretary of Perak before joining the judicial and legal service of the then Federation of Malaya as magistrate. He was later appointed Sessions Court president.

He was also federal counsel and deputy public prosecutor, Pahang and Johor legal adviser, Registrar of the High Court of Malaya and Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia.

At 37, he had the distinction of being the youngest judge in the Commonwealth to be appointed to the High Court in 1965.

In 1973, he was made a Federal Court judge and in 1979, the Chief Judge of Malaya.

He was made Raja Muda on July 1, 1983.

In early 2009, he attracted heavy criticism for his involvement in the removal of Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the menteri besar while Pakatan Rakyat was in power, which led to the constitutional crisis in Perak.

His decision was reversed by a High Court, which ruled that the sultan was not constitutionally permitted to dismiss the menteri besar.

However, the Court of Appeal later held the ruler was right in appointing Zambry of Barisan Nasional as the menteri besar, despite the latter not winning a vote of confidence in the legislative assembly.