By Luca Bücken and Baron Henri Estramant.
On 6 May 2015 the enthronement of His Royal Highness Sultan Dr. Nazrin Muizzuddin as the 35th Sultan of Perak took place, after having been already proclaimed on 29 May 2014 following the demise of his father, Sultan Azlan Shah.
Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah was born in Penang on 27 November 1956 and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and a PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. His Royal Highness was already previously appointed as Regent of Perak from 1989 to 1994 when his father became the 9th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (Paramount Ruler of Malaysia/Head of State).
Next to his function as Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan , His Royal Highness represents today the government of Malaysia in his role as “Financial Ambassador of the Malaysian International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC)” on international level. Furthermore, he is also Malaysia’s Special Envoy for Interfaith and Inter-Civilisational Dialogue, President of the Perak Council on Islam and Malay Customs; Eminent Fellow of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia; Chancellor of the University of Malaya; Royal Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Defense and Security; Member of the Chancellor’s Court of Benefactor, University of Oxford; Honorary Fellow of Worcester College, University of Oxford; and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, University of Oxford.
His enthronement ceremony was attended by all nine Malay rulers as well as by His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam.
In the federal structure of Malaysia, composed out of 13 states, the rulers play a significant political role. In the present form of a constitutional monarchy, political and legislative power is subdivided between the federal and state governments. The former one is appointed by the Yang-di Pertuan Agong, whereas the latter ones are appointed by the state rulers. Amongst them Perak is one of the oldest sultanates.
In the 1980s and 1990s former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad engaged in a bitter political struggle to break the absolute power of the nine monarchs, in fact seeking to reduce them to figurehead status. Since then the political situation has significantly changed, as during the term of the current prime minister, Dato’ Sri Haji Najib Tun Razak, the rulers have successfully reasserted their sway to a significant extent.
For more information
Dewan of Perak Darul Ridzuan: http://epla.perak.gov.my/protokol.php
