A gracious ruler who is both gentle and refined.
That best describes Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V as he celebrates his official birthday today.
His Majesty was, in fact, born on Oct 6, 1969 at the Kota Baru Hospital (now known as the Raja Permaisuri Zainab II Hospital). He received his early education at SK Sultan Ismail 1 in Kota Baru before moving to Alice Smith International School in Kuala Lumpur.
He furthered his studies in Oakham School in Rutland, United Kingdom. After his secondary education in 1989, he took up Diplomatic Studies at St Cross College, Oxford and continued his studies in the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies until 1991.
His Majesty became Crown Prince of Kelantan on his 16th birthday and on May 24, 2009, he was appointed Regent of Kelantan. A year later (Sept 13, 2010), he ascended the throne to become the 29th Sultan of Kelantan.
The Conference of Rulers, had on Dec 13, 2011, elected Sultan Muhammad V as Timbalan Yang di-Petuan Agong. In 2016, the Conference of Rulers voted him to be the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. Sultan Muhammad V took the oath to be King on Dec 13, 2016.
As Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V assumes the role of Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Artillery Regiment.
An animal lover, Sultan Muhammad V rears horses and deer and he ensures the animals are well taken care of at his private animal park at Istana Negeri in Kelantan.
He is patron of various clubs, including Kelantan Shooting Association, Sultan of Kelantan Foundation, Red Crescent Society and 4×4 Motorsports Association.
He has taken great interest in the welfare of those in Kelantan and this is evident through his programmes including “Qiam with me” and the annual “Royal Walkathon”.
Parliamentarians and Malaysians in general were left in stitches after Sultan Muhammad V, just before officiating at the first Dewan Rakyat session on July 16 following the change in government, told Members of Parliament “Sila duduk, jangan lari”.
A day earlier, all but three opposition MPs, staged a walkout as the protested the appointment of speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, claiming it was a “violation of procedure”.
The Agong’s remark was described as the one-liner of the year by comedian Harith Iskander.
Sultan Muhammad V, however, cancelled his official birthday celebrations and the royal tea reception scheduled for today.
Allocated funds for the ceremonies will be returned to the government via Tabung Harapan Malaysia, read a statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz on Aug 30.
Other events in conjunction with the Agong’s birthday, however, will go on as planned.
