KUANTAN, Jan 27 — The name and portrait of Tengku Panglima Besar Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah has begun to spread in the social media and has become the centre of attention after his father, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah was proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang on January 15.

He always appeared to be smiling and calm in all the portraits, which had attracted attention of the people especially when Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim was announced as the Heir to the Throne for Pahang by Sultan Abdullah on January 22.

On January 29, Tengku Hassanal would be proclaimed as the new Tengku Mahkota Pahang in a ceremony at the Throne Room of Istana Abu Bakar, Pekan. Tengku Hassanal, who was born on September 17, 1995 at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, here is pursuing his study at the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in the United Kingdom for one year.

Head of Research of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), who is also a researcher on the monarchy institution, Wan Nazrul Helmy Wan Mohd Zain, said the appointment was in line with the system of inheritance of the throne according to the patrilineal principles practised by all the nine states in Malaysia which adopted the monarchy system.

According to the principle, the candidate for the Heir to the Throne known as the Tengku Mahkota, Tunku Mahkota, Raja Muda or the Yang Dipertuan Muda, is usually decided based on the lineage of the ruling monarch.

"In the context of the state of Pahang, the appointment process for the Heir to the Throne is stated in Chapter III, Part One, Pahang State Constitution where Article 20(1) provided that the Ruling Monarch, after consultation with the State Royal Council of Regency, can appoint someone as the Heir to the Throne who will be called as Yang Teramat Mulia Tengku Mahkota, or by any other title as stipulated, and the Heir to the Throne will become the Heir to the Throne of the Pahang Government.

"Looking at the history of the modern Pahang Sultanate which began on Aug 6, 1882 when Bendahara Siwa Raja Tun Ahmad ibni Almarhum Bendahara Siwa Raja Tun Ali was proclaimed as Sultan Ahmad Al-Muadzam Shah, the appointment of the Heir to the Throne was made from among the sons of the ruling monarch,” he said.

Wan Nazrul Helmy said that when Sultan Ahmad Al-Muadzam Shah passed away on May 9, 1914, his eldest son, Tengku Mahmud who was called Tengku Besar had been appointed as the second Sultan of Pahang.

However, Sultan Mahmud who died on June 19, 1917 did not have a son and members of the royalty had unanimously appointed his eldest younger brother, Tengku Abdullah ibni Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Al-Muadzam Shah as the third Sultan of Pahang with the title Sultan Abdullah Al-Muktasim Billah.

"During his reign, Sultan Abdullah Al-Muktasim Billah had rearranged the Pahang state ceremonies and created several titles including the Tengku Mahkota for his eldest son namely Tengku Abu Bakar as Heir to the Throne and the title Tengku Arif Bendahara to his second son namely Tengku Mahmud and Tengku Arif Temenggong to his third son namely Tengku Abdul Aziz,” he said.

Following the death of Sultan Abdullah al-Muktasim Billah on June 22, 1932, he said the throne to the Pahang government was inherited by Tengku Abu Bakar who was later installed as Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Muadzam Shah on May 28, 1933.

Sultan Abu Bakar subsequently awarded the title Tengku Mahkota Pahang to his eldest son namely Tengku Ahmad Shah on May 25, 1944 and was proclaimed on May 29, 1949.

"Al-Sultan Abdullah who was proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang, is the eldest son of Tengku Ahmad Shah, who later became the fifth Sultan of Pahang on May 5, 1974 with the title of Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, and Almarhumah Tengku Ampuan Afzan Tengku Muhammad,” he said.

According to Wan Nazrul Helmy, who was also born in Bandar Diraja Pekan, the people of Pahang were truly most fortunate because they were not only able to witness the Proclamation Ceremony of the sixth Sultan of Pahang on January 15 but would also be able to follow the developments on the appointment of the new Tengku Mahkota Pahang as the Heir to the Throne.

The last appointment of the Tengku Mahkota Pahang was made on July 1, 1975 when Sultan Abdullah, who was 16 years old at the time, was conferred the title by his father before the proclamation on October 23, 1977 at the Balairung Seri, Istana Abu Bakar, Pekan. — Bernama