Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah

Infobox_Monarch
name =Abdul Halim
title =Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (King of Malaysia) and Sultan of Kedah


caption =Ke Bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Al-Sultan Sir Almu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbudin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah
reign =1958-present
coronation =15 July 1958 (succeeded after his father's death)
20 February 1959 (officially installed)
predecessor =Sultan Badlishah
successor =
suc-type = Raja Muda
heir =
consort =Sultanah Bahiyah (deceased 2003)
Sultanah Haminah Hamidon
issue =
royal house = Istana Anak Bukit
royal anthem =Allah Selamatkan Sultan Mahkota
father =Sultan Badlishah
mother =
date of birth =birth date and age|1927|11|28
place of birth =Alor Star, Kedah
date of death =
place of death =
buried =|

In full, Ke Bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Al-Sultan Sir Almu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbudin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, GCB, KStJ, (born November 28, 1927) was the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from September 21, 1970 to September 20 1975 and twenty-eighth Sultan of Kedah since July 15, 1958.

Biography

Early career

Born at Istana Anak Bukit near Alor Star as Tunku Abdul Halim, he was the second, but eldest surviving son, of Tunku Badlishah (born 1894; reigned 1943-1958), who later became the 27th Sultan of Kedah. His mother was Tunku Sofiah binti Tunku Mahmud (b. 1910), who died in an automobile accident on February 28, 1935. Tunku Abdul Halim's maternal grandfather, Tunku Mahmud, was once "Raja Muda" or heir presumptive to the throne of Kedah. [ Finestone, Jeffrey and Shaharil Talib (1994) "The Royal Families of South-East Asia" Shahindera Sdn Bhd]

He was educated at Alor Merah and Titi Gajah Malay schools and Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star between 1946 and 1948. He went on to Wadham College, Oxford and obtained a diploma in Social Science and Public Administration. He subsequently joined the Kedah Administrative Service, serving in the Alor Star district office and later, the state treasury. [ Ibrahim Ismail (1987) "Sejarah Kedah Sepintas Lalu" p209 Penerbit UUM ]

On August 6, 1949 he was appointed "Raja Muda" or heir apparent and succeeded as twenty-eighth Sultan of Kedah on his father's death on July 15, 1958. [ [November 3, 2006) "Bernama Online" ] He was installed at the Balai Besar in Alor Star on February 20, 1959. [ Ibrahim Ismail (1987) Op Cit pp 214-218 ]

First Election as Deputy King

Tuanku Abdul Halim (as he became), served as Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong between September 21, 1965 and September 20, 1970.

Election as King

He was elected as fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and served his term in office from September 21, 1970 to September 20, 1975.

Events During Kingship

Tuanku Abdul Halim presided over the first transfer of power of the civilian government when his uncle, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman resigned in favour of his deputy Tun Abdul Razak. Tunku Abdul Rahman had felt that he should not serve under a nephew, given strict Malay royal protocol, but agreed to stay on as prime minister for one day of Tuanku Abdul Halim's reign. [ Tunku Abdul Rahman (1977) "Looking Back" p346 Pustaka Antara, Kuala Lumpur ]

econd Election as Deputy King

On November 2, 2006, Tuanku Abdul Halim was for the second time elected Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong to serve a five-year term beginning December 13, 2006. He is the third person to have been elected twice to this office, after Tuanku Jaafar of Negeri Sembilan and Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu.

Family Life

Tuanku Abdul Halim married twice:
# In 1956 to Tuanku Bahiyah, daughter of Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan by whom he has three daughters. She served as Sultanah of Kedah and Raja Permaisuri Agong. She died on August 26, 2003 (during 12:5 pm) at Istana Kuala Cegar in Alor Star [ {August 26, 2003) "Utusan Malaysia" ]
# In 1975 to Cik Haminah binti Hamidun, a commoner from Perak, who was titled Che Puan Kedah until January 9, 2004 when she was promoted to Sultanah. [ {January 10, 2004) "Bernama Online" ]
# He has 3 daughters. His first daughter is Tunku Soraya, who had a twin, Tunku Sarina. His last child is Tunku Intan Safinaz.
# He has 5 grandchildren. Three grandsons, Raja Nabil Imran, Raja Idris Shah and Raja Siffudin Muadzam and two granddaughters, Raja Sarina Bahiyah and Raja Safia Azizah.

Honours

Tuanku Abdul Halim hold the rank of Marshal of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FY3031B%2F11] . His foreign honours are:

Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum-1970

Collar of the Star of Mahaputra-1st Class of Indonesia-1970

Collar of the Order of Pahlavi-1971

Knight of the Order of St John (KStJ)-1972

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)-1972

Collar of the Order of Rajamitrabhom of Thailand-1973

Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III of Spain (w/Collar)-1974

Nishan-i-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan), 1st Class-1974

Golden Jubilee celebration

On 15 July 2008, Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah has been celebrate his Golden Jubilee after successfully reigning the state of Kedah for 50 years. A ceremony of handing over the contributions in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee was held at the Istana Anak Bukit on 6 July 2008 by Kedah Chief Minister Azizan Abdul Razak. Also in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee, 15 July 2008 was declared as a public holiday in the whole state of Kedah [ [http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=344342 (July 6, 2008) "Bernama Online"] ] .

Trivia

* Sultan Abdul Halim Highway and Sekolah Rendah Tunku Abdul Halim in Alor Star, the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Penang, Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital and Sultan Abdul Halim Teachers' Trainee Institute in Sungai Petani and Sekolah Menengah Sultan Abdul Halim in Jitra, Kedah are all; named after him.
* Sultan Abdul Halim Airport in Kepala Batas, Kedah and Polytechnic of Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (POLIMAS) in Jitra, was also given in honour of his name.
* He was the second youngest Yang di-Pertuan Agong after Tuanku Syed Putra, beginning his reign at the age of 42 years 9 months 25 days.
* He is the first sultan in Malaysia to celebrate golden jubilee since the independence of Malaysia in 1957.
* He was the fourth among 28 sultans of Kedah. The oldest sultanate in the world who celebrated the golden jubliee while on the throne [ [http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=346083 (July 14, 2008) "Bernama Online"] ] .
* If he is in good health until December 2011, he may be the first person to be elected twice as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Notes and references