In a ceremony steeped in tradition, Malaysia on Wednesday invested its new king, a billionaire sultan known for his outspokenness and determined to play a key role in guaranteeing his country's political stability.
Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, an influential 65-year-old sultan, was sworn in at the National Palace in the capital Kuala Lumpur.
“By this oath, I (swear) solemnly and sincerely to be loyal, to reign justly for Malaysia in accordance with the laws and the Constitution
,” declared the new sovereign, during the event broadcast on television attended by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other members of the ruling elite.
Last year, the sultan was designated as the future king of this constitutional monarchy where, every five years, the heads of families from the country's nine ancient kingdoms choose one of them to reign over Malaysia.
A coronation ceremony is to take place in several months.
Critics of the king liable to imprisonment
The function of the king is essentially honorary in Malaysia but his role has increased in recent years in the face of the fracture in the Malaysian political landscape, the intervention of the king having notably been necessary on three occasions to appoint a prime minister.
In addition to overseeing important political appointments, the ruler has the right of pardon and is the official leader of Islam in the Muslim-majority country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Criticism considered as an incitement to contempt is punishable by imprisonment.
In an interview with the Singaporean daily The Straits Times in December, the sultan said he did not want to be a
“puppet king”
.
“There are 222 of you (parliamentarians) in Parliament.
There are more than 30 million of them (Malaysians) outside.
I am not with you, I am with them
,” he declared to the daily.
“I will support the government but if I think they are doing something wrong, I will tell them
,” he added, according to the daily.
Ibrahim comes from the rich and powerful royal family of Johor, which has its own private army.
Bloomberg estimates the fortune of the sultan and his family to be at least $5.7 billion.
He is close to reformist Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, appointed at the end of 2022, and regularly comments on political news in the country.
He is an active leader who was trained as a military officer, partly in the United States, and also a motorcycle enthusiast, father of six children.