Sultan of Johor ditches protocol to eat with the people

The Sultan not only had his meal at the humble restaurant but also picked up the tab for all patrons there including those who would come throughout the day.

MUAR: Patrons of Restoran Ansari here had a pleasant surprise when the much revered ruler of their state, walked in and sat down to a humble meal with them.

Doing away with protocol, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, not only ate at the same table with his beloved people, but even paid for their meals, the New Straits Times reported.

It was also learnt that His Highness paid the restaurant owner for the meals of all patrons who would drop by throughout the day.

Four pictures of the Sultan enjoying his meal at the restaurant were posted on his official Facebook page at 8.00am today, with some 35,267 fans of his “liking” the posts.

The post was also shared 4,026 times at the time of writing with 1,457 Facebook users leaving comments of gratitude and praise at the Sultan’s kind gesture.

Even Malaysians from other states were touched by the Sultan’s kindheartedness, with Perakian Risha Zack saying: “Wowwww hebatnya sultan johor…. Saya anak perak pun berbangga mempunyai sultan seperti ini. (Wow, the Sultan of Johor is amazing. Although a Perakian myself, I feel proud the country has a Sultan like this.)

Wang Heng Wah meanwhile said: “Selamat Pagi. Tuanku is having a simple meal amongst his people. He is very close to the common rakyat of Malaysia. Daulat Tuanku.”

Thanking the Sultan for his down to earth nature, Chandrra Vejayan posted a message saying: “The Sultan and Permaisuri Johor are indeed down to earth and Rakyat friendly. Thank you.”

George Goh meanwhile praised the Sultan for his simple meal of roti canai and teh tarik, and said Johoreans were blessed to have such a “great” and “outstanding” ruler.