Kedah Sultan installed as King

April 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah was today installed the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a ceremony steeped in tradition at the new Istana Negara in Jalan Duta here.

The royal is the first Ruler in the country to be installed King for a second time, under Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy.

At 84, he is also the oldest Ruler to ascend the throne.

Tuanku Abdul Halim was proclaimed as the 27th Sultan of Kedah on July 14, 1958 and was crowned officially on February 20, 1959, in the state palace.

At age 42, Tuanku Abdul Halim first reigned as the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1970 to 1975, and had as prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, father to the current prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Tuanku Abdul Halim has been described as sharp-minded, and a caring, humble and gentle Ruler who is loved by his subjects.

Educated first at Sekolah Melayu Alor Merah and Sek Melayu Titi Gajah, Tuanku Abdul Halim roomed at the hostel while continuing his studies at Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid in Alor Setar, which was the first English school in Kedah.

Tuanku Abdul Halim furthered his studies in the UK where he received a diploma in Public Administration and Social Science from Wadham College, Oxford. 

He joined the Kedah Administrative Service upon returning home in 1955 and was attached to the Kota Setar District Office before moving on to serve in the State Treasury.