JAN 17 — The proclamation of Tuanku Muhriz as Yang di-Pertuan Besar on Dec 29, 2008 coincided with Awal Muharram 1430, and this week, his 66th birthday coincided with Maulidur Rasul 1435. 

Usually, the customary procession to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW takes place in Seremban in the morning, but this time, it took place on Jan 13, in Seri Menanti during maghrib (the start of the day for a Muslim). The procession took off at Istana Besar and finished at Masjid Diraja Tuanku Munawir. In between prayers, there was a spiritually uplifting performance by a nasyid ensemble who sung in three languages, accompanied by soloists on the gambus and Malay flute.

The morning parade also featured fine musicianship from the band of the Royal Armoured Corps, who played the anthem particularly well before switching to the Beatles, complete with swaying and adept baton-wielding from the bandmaster. This was followed by a surprisingly gory demonstration of hand-to-hand combat by the Royal Malay Regiment. One scene included knife-and-bayonet action involving blood, disembowelment and convulsions that left agape the mouths of watching children. 

In the Balairong Seri, after the ceremonial opening by Datuk Seri Amar Diraja and prayers by the state mufti, the MB gave his congratulatory speech before the royal address. Amongst the topics covered by the Ruler was the need for Muslims to understand that the religion — apart from the federal constitution — asks us to respect the rights of others in practising their faith.

The honours list was headed by my brother Tunku Besar Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin, who received the Darjah Seri Setia Tuanku Muhriz Yang Amat Terbilang (SSTM). A Cambridge and Harvard graduate and former McKinsey and Khazanah Investment professional, he now sits on several corporate boards (including Bumi Armada Berhad as independent chairman), and in the field of education his positions include being Trustee of Teach for Malaysia, pro-chancellor of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, royal fellow at the UKM-Yunus Centre for Advancement of Social Business, royal resident writer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and governor of Marlborough College Malaysia. Last year, he was appointed a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Newly created Datuks include Malaysia’s ambassador to Vienna, two academicians, three doctors and four generals. The total number keeps the average of annual new datuks at under 40. The sole recipient of the Darjah Tuanku Muhriz (DTM) was Nik Razeen Daud, president of the Negri Sembilan Squash Association, where our junior players are dominating the rankings of the sport domestically like never before and also winning several international open championships.

Among the recipients of the Setiawan Tuanku Muhriz (STM) were two musicians: Seremban-born Bernard Goh, co-founder and artistic director of internationally-renowned Hands Percussion, and Angel Lee, an activist for world-class classical music in Malaysia. A few of her students are members of the Seremban Quartet, who have been wowing at diplomatic events and the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas for years. The musical interlude during the ceremony itself was this time provided by the caklempong group from Sekolah Tunku Ampuan Durah, dressed in Minangkabau style.

Throughout, the Seri Menanti padang was buzzing with performances and traders, mostly local but one came from as far as Alor Star. It was great to see such entrepreneurship and while I indulged in jagung rembau and Kelantan freid chicklen [sic], I asked whether anyone was selling kangkung, which caused some to murmur nervously and others to laugh uproariously.

A successful celebration in Seri Menanti, overall.

Apparently there was supposed to be another “investiture” occurring on the same day, hosted by a “Sultan of Malacca”. The “evidence” put forth for this claim to the “throne” is based on conspiracy, a fake certificate from the International Court of Justice, a dubious genealogical chart, a weak reading of history, feeble knowledge of constitutional law and zero understanding of the concept of daulat. The man has finally been arrested and detained under the Sedition Act, and while some will undoubtedly say the Internal Security Act should be revived to deal with such cases, I understand that there are existing laws that deal with impersonating a Ruler and waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri.

But what about the various honours given out by such claimants? Recently, legislation was proposed to amend the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963 with the insertion of the following clause: “Whoever knowingly receives any honours from any self proclaimed head of state not recognised by the government shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years.” 

Despite cross-party support, the amendment was never put to the House. Perhaps it is about time and also address the proliferation of dodgy academic degrees, too.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.