Salahuddin of Selangor

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj (Jawi: سلطان صلاح الدين عبدالعزيز شاه الحاج إبن المرحوم سلطان حسام الدين عالم شاه الحاج; 8 March 1926 – 21 November 2001) was Sultan of Selangor from 1960, and the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) from 1999, until his death in 2001.[1]

Salahuddin
  • صلاح الدين
Salahuddin in 2001
Yang di-Pertuan Agong XI
Reign26 April 1999 – 21 November 2001
Installation23 September 1999
PredecessorJa'afar
SuccessorSirajuddin
Sultan of Selangor
Reign3 September 1960 – 21 November 2001
Coronation28 June 1961
PredecessorHisamuddin
SuccessorSharafuddin
Born(1926-03-08)8 March 1926
Istana Bandar Temasha, Jugra, Kuala Langat, Selangor, Federated Malay States
Died21 November 2001(2001-11-21) (aged 75)
Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Burial22 November 2001
Spouse
Raja Nur Saidatul-Ihsan, Paduka Bonda Raja
(m. 1943; div. 1955)
Che' Mahiran
(div. 1953)
(m. 1955; died 1993)
Sharifa Salmah
(m. 1961; div. 1963)
(m. 1990)
Issue
  • Tengku Nor Halija
  • Tengku Idris Shah
  • Tengku Puteri Sofiah
  • Tengku Sulaiman Shah
  • Tengku Puteri Zahariah
  • Tengku Fatimah
  • Tengku Abdul Samad
  • Tengku Puteri Arafiah
  • Tengku Puteri Aishah
  • Tengku Ahmad Shah
  • Tengku Puteri Nor Marina
  • Tengku Puteri Nor Zehan
Names
Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Tengku Alam Shah
Regnal name
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj
HouseRoyal Buginese Luwu
Opu Daeng Celak
FatherSultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah
MotherTengku Ampuan Jemaah Binti Almarhum Raja Ahmad
ReligionSunni Islam

Early life

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Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah was born at 3:30 pm on 8 March 1926 at the Istana Bandar Temasha, Jugra, Kuala Langat, he was the eldest son of Sultan Hisamuddin of Selangor by his royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Jemaah.

He received his early education at the Pengkalan Batu Malay School in Klang in 1934. In 1936, he furthered his studies at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar until 1941 when World War II began. After World War II, he went to England in 1947 and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London for two years.[2]

Upon his return from the United Kingdom, he served with the Civil Service Department as a Trainee Officer with the Selangor Survey Department. He later served as an Inspector of Schools for eight years.[3]

In 1952, he attended a short-term course at the Malay Military Troop in Port Dickson for six months and was commissioned with the Queen Commission in the rank of captain. Thereafter, he was promoted to the rank of major.

Sultan of Selangor

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Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah was appointed as the Tengku Laksamana of Selangor on 1 August 1946 and as the Raja Muda (crown prince) of Selangor on 13 May 1950.

On the death of his father, Sultan Hisamuddin of Selangor, Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah became the eighth Sultan of Selangor with the title Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah on 3 September 1960 and was installed as sultan on 28 June 1961.

On 26 April 1984, Sultan Salahuddin was appointed as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy by the Malaysian Armed Forces in place of the position of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force which he held since 1966.

Sultan Salahuddin who signed the cession of Kuala Lumpur from Selangor to the Federal Government to form a Federal Territory on 1 February 1974.[4] The Sultan cried after the signing as he was very fond and proud of the city. The Kota Darul Ehsan arch was erected along the Federal Highway at the border of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to commemorate the event in 1981.

Sultan Salahuddin founded Shah Alam as Selangor's new state capital in 1978. He said that for Selangor to become a modern state, it would need a new state capital as Kuala Lumpur had become a Federal Territory. Klang was the state capital netween the cession of Kuala Lumpur and the creation of Shah Alam. Many buildings and roads in Shah Alam are named after him.

Salahuddin held the rank of Marshal of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Field Marshal of the Malaysian Army and Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Malaysian Navy as per constitutional provisions[5] making him as the second royal military officer to become supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong

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Sultan Salahuddin was elected as the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 26 April 1999 and installed on 11 September 1999. He was the second oldest ruler to be elected to the position.

The cession of Putrajaya, from Selangor to the Federal Government in 2001 to become a Federal Territory occurred during his reign as Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Putrajaya was named after him.

He died in office on 21 November 2001, at the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur after reigning for two years and 6 months. He underwent a heart operation to put a pacemaker two months prior to his death, which he did not fully recover from.[6] Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had visited him four times before.[7]

He was buried in the Royal Mausoleum near Sultan Sulaiman Mosque in Klang.[8] Mahathir expressed grief over the passing of Salahuddin.[9] The Prime Minister's official residence in Putrajaya was closed to the public for two days.[10]

Personal life

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Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah had at least four wives.

His first wife and cousin, Paduka Bonda Raja Raja Nur Saidatul Ihsan binti Al Marhum Raja Bendahara Tengku Badar Shah, whom he later divorced, bore:

  1. Tengku Nor Halija
  2. Tengku Idris Shah, later Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah
  3. Tengku Puteri Sofiah (died 8 June 2017)[11]
  4. Tengku Laksamana Tengku Sulaiman Shah
  5. Tengku Puteri Zahariah (Ku Yah)
  6. Tengku Fatimah
  7. Tengku Panglima Besar Tengku Abdul Samad
  8. Tengku Puteri Arafiah
  9. Tengku Puteri Aishah (died 30 July 2012)

Che Maheram binti Muhammad Rais, his second wife, bore him:

  1. Tengku Panglima Raja Tengku Ahmad Shah

His royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Rahimah binti Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah of the Langkat royal family in Sumatra died in 1993 before his election as Yang di-Pertuan Agong. She was the mother of:

  1. Tengku Puteri Nor Marina
  2. Tengku Puteri Nor Zehan

His last wife, Tuanku Siti Aishah binti Abdul Rahman, who was a commoner, served as his Raja Permaisuri Agong. Being fifty years younger than him, she was also the youngest ever occupant of that office – only 29 at her succession to the throne.

Hobbies and interests

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Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was a keen sportsman. His interest in golf is well-known within and outside the country. The Sultan also loved sailing, collecting antique cars, rearing animals and planting orchids. He also likes visiting foreign countries to widen his knowledge and experience.

Legacy

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Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Shah Alam.
 
Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery in Klang.

Several projects and institutions were named after the Sultan, including:

Educational institutions

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  • SMK Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, a secondary school in Shah Alam, Selangor
  • SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, a secondary school in Kajang, Selangor
  • SAMT Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, a secondary school in Sabak, Selangor
  • Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Shah Alam, Selangor

Buildings

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Roads and bridges

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Others

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Honours

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Styles of
Salahuddin
Reference styleHis Royal Highness
Spoken styleYour Royal Highness

Salahuddin's full style and title was: Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Alhaj, Sultan dan Yang di-Pertuan Selangor Darul Ehsan Serta Segala Daerah Takluknya.[12]

Honours of Selangor

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Honours of Malaysia

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Foreign honours

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References

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  • Alagappa, Muthiah, Coercion and Governance: The Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-4227-8
  • Information Malaysia, Berita Publications Sdn. Bhd., 1998
  • Martin, Frederick, Keltie, John Scott, Renwick, Isaac Parker Anderson, Epstein, Mortimer, Paxton, John, Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry, The Statesman's Year-book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World for the Year ; 1978–1979, St. Martin's Press, 1978
  1. ^ The Making Of Galeri Diraja Sultan Abdul Aziz, Klang Archived 25 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia CPD Committee 2007, Laurent Lim Aun Giap
  2. ^ Ruler with 'heart of the people' Archived 2 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 21 November 2001, BBC News
  3. ^ King of Malaysia dies Archived 11 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 21 November 2001, BBC News
  4. ^ The Nation Mourns The Passing Of A Great Ruler Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine 24 November 2001, MySinchew.com
  5. ^ Alagappa, Coercion and Governance: The Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia, pg 267
  6. ^ Malaysian King Aziz Shah dead Archived 13 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Kuala Lumpur, 21 November 2001, The Tribune
  7. ^ "PM visits King for fourth time". Business Times. 19 October 2001.
  8. ^ Thousands mourn Malaysia's king Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, 22 November 2001, BBC News
  9. ^ "PM moved to tears over passing of a good friend". New Straits Times. 22 November 2001.
  10. ^ "PM's official residence closed". New Straits Times. 22 November 2001.
  11. ^ "Adinda Sultan Selangor mangkat". Harian Metro. 8 June 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  12. ^ "May Allah The Almighty Bless Our Sultan". New Straits Times. 22 December 2001. p. 3. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  13. ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 2001" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  14. ^ "A royal gesture". The Straits Times. 14 July 1975. p. 8.
  15. ^ "Kelantan Honours Selangor Ruler". The Straits Times. 10 July 1966. p. 11.
  16. ^ "Two Sultans honoured". The Straits Times. 23 June 1964. p. 5.
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Regnal titles
Preceded by
Tuanku Jaafar
(Yang di-Pertuan Besar of
Negeri Sembilan)
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
(King of Malaysia)

1999–2001
Succeeded by
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin
(Raja of Perlis)
Preceded by Sultan of Selangor
1960–2001
Succeeded by