The World’s Most Unique Royalty System

Queen Elizabeth II was, debatably, the most famous woman in modern history. She is more recognisable than Mother Teresa, Malala Yousafzai, and any pop singer or celebrity. The royalty system under which she spent her entire life is a story those of us here in the west can wrap our heads around: she belonged to the Windsor family, was born as a princess and, when her father died in 1952, she began her life as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. This system isn’t unique to Britian, either - it’s common throughout the remaining monarchies of western Europe.

Malaysia’s system is a little less straightforward to those of us less exposed to it. Unless you speak Bahasa, even the title - Yang-di Pertuan Agong - is a lot more to handle than “King” or “Queen”, and literally translates to “He Who is Made Supreme Lord”. For cultural reasons, this figure will be referred to as Sultan throughout the article.

The current Sultan came to the throne in July of this year. Source: Bharian.com

Malaysia’s monarchy operates on a rotational system. Terms last for five years, and are elected from a council of Sultans that take turns as national figurehead (though the position is largely ceremonial, as Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy). The election itself consists of a secret vote with a ballot - not that there’s much point in the ballot’s contents, since it only contains the name of the next monarch whose turn it is - so the vote is more a question of whether or not that particular sultan-to-be is fit for the role.

The system consists of nine sultans, who represent 13 provinces of Malaysia.

The current Sultan - named Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar - came to the throne in July of this past year, and has been expected to play a more active role in national politics. Over the course of his first month alone, the Sultan has conducted a diplomatic trip to China, and ordered a probe into a national scandal involving child abuse.

TAI Score: Degree 0. The royalty system in Malaysia is not a threat to national or international security.