Kuala Lumpur:

Malaysia on Wednesday installed an outspoken motorcycle king, a billionaire determined to play a key role in ensuring political stability, in an elaborate ceremony steeped in centuries-old tradition.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s new position is largely ceremonial but has taken on an important role in the country’s divided political landscape in recent years.

In addition to overseeing major political appointments, the king is also the official head of Islam in the majority-Muslim country and commander-in-chief of its armed forces.

Bloomberg estimates that Sultan Ibrahim, ruler of southern Johor state, and his family are worth at least $5.7 billion, including land in Singapore and investments in companies including palm oil, real estate and telecommunications.

The 65-year-old wore a royal blue gown and was sworn in at a traditional ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, on Wednesday.

Sultan Ibrahim said at a nationally televised event attended by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other ruling elites: “By taking this oath, I solemnly and truly swear my loyalty to rule Malaysia fairly and in accordance with the law and the Constitution. .”

Sultan Ibrahim was chosen by the country’s royal family last year as the next head of state, with a coronation ceremony set to take place in a few months.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a unique arrangement in which the throne changes hands every five years among the rulers of Malaysia’s nine states, headed by a centuries-old Islamic royal family.

Although primarily ceremonial, the king’s position has taken on an increasingly important role in recent years.

Royal intervention has been required on three occasions in recent years to appoint a prime minister following the collapse of governments and a hung parliament following elections.

In an interview with Singapore’s Straits Times in December last year, Ibrahim said he was not keen on becoming a “puppet king”.

The major newspapers quoted him as saying: “There are 222 members in parliament. There are more than 30 million (population) outside. I don’t support you, I support them.”

“I will support the government but if I think they are doing something inappropriate I will tell them.”

The king also has the power to pardon. In 2018, one of Ibrahim’s predecessors, Sultan Mohammed V, pardoned Anwar, who had been jailed for sodomy.

The king enjoys high prestige in Malaysia, especially among the country’s Malay Muslim majority.

Criticism deemed to incite contempt for the king could result in jail time.

Sultan Ibrahim was of Malay-British descent and belonged to the wealthy and powerful Johor royal family, whose leader commanded a small private army.

He is close to Anwar and has been outspoken on Malaysian politics and corruption.

Sultan Ibrahim was considered a religious moderate. In 2017, he ordered a laundromat owner to apologize for alleged discrimination against non-Muslims.

He is married with six children and used to travel around Johor every year on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to distribute relief items to the poor.

He also has significant business interests, including a stake in Forest City, a $100 billion development project off the coast of Johor state.

The social media-savvy king owns an extensive collection of luxury cars, sports cars and private jets. He also played polo and was an Army, Navy and Air Force officer who studied in the United States.

The last time the Sultan of Johor ascended the throne was 39 years ago, when Sultan Ibrahim’s father Sultan Iskandar was proclaimed the eighth king of Malaysia in 1984.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)