Motorcycle-riding Sultan crowned as Malaysia's 17th king in lavish ceremony
WeirdNews
Motorcycle-riding Sultan crowned as Malaysia's 17th king in lavish ceremony
(Web Desk) - In an opulent festival Sunday, Malaysia crowned a millionaire sultan who rides a motorcycle as its new monarch.
In January, King Sultan Ibrahim, the 17th ruler of the country, took the oath of office. His coronation ceremony took place at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a distinctive system whereby the rulers of nine states, each led by a member of the Islamic royal family dating back centuries, alternate on the throne every five years.
The role of the king has grown in importance recently, although being primarily ceremonial.
After scandal-plagued premier Najib Razak lost the 2018 election, there were three collapses of administrations and a hung parliament, necessitating royal intervention to select prime ministers three times.
The monarch is the chief commander of the armed forces and the recognized head of Islam in the nation with a majority of Muslims, in addition to supervising important political appointments.
The rulers of southern Johor state, which is located directly across from Singapore, Sultan Ibrahim and his family are estimated by Bloomberg to be worth at least $5.7 billion.
Among their assets include land in Singapore and stakes in businesses including telecommunications, real estate, and palm oil.
Dignitaries such as Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of neighboring Brunei, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim were present at the ceremony on Saturday.
Sultan Ibrahim vowed to "uphold the religion of Islam and ensure peace in Malaysia" while donning a royal headpiece and a traditional coat embroidered with gold thread. He also promised to follow the constitution.
Anwar wished the new monarch well and swore allegiance to him.
Sultan Ibrahim has spoken out against corruption and politics in Malaysia.
He is married and has six kids. He used to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle around Johor every year and give charity to the underprivileged.
In addition, he has substantial personal commercial holdings, such as a share in Forest City, a $100 billion development project spearheaded by Chinese investors off the coast of Johor.
