Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, GCB, KStJ (19 April 1928 – 28 May 2014) was the Sultan of Perak. He was the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 26 April 1989 to 25 April 1994. A lawyer by profession, he served as a judge, and the Lord President of the Federal Court before becoming the Sultan of Perak.

Background

Raja Azlan Shah (as he was then known) was born on 19 April 1928 in Batu Gajah, Perak. A child of Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil Nasshirruddin al-Makhtarram karamatullah Shah (reigned 1948–1963) by his commoner wife (later divorced) Toh Puan Dewangsa Khadijah binti Ahmad, the young Raja Azlan Shah was brought up by his mother outside royal circles.

Raja Azlan's early education was at Government English School, Batu Gajah now known as SMK Sultan Yussuf. He continued his higher education at the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar. He went to study law at the University of Nottingham where he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1953, and was admitted to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn on 23 November 1954.

Legal career

As he had elder brothers who outranked him in the order of succession, he was trained for the legal service.

On his return from the United Kingdom, he first served as the Assistant State Secretary of Perak. Thereafter, he joined the Judicial and Legal Service of the Federation of Malaya where he served as a First Class Magistrate and as a Sessions Court president. Subsequently Raja Azlan was appointed to the following offices: Federal Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor, Legal Adviser of the State of Pahang and later of Johor, Registrar of the High Court in Malaya and Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia.

In 1965, at the age of only thirty-seven years, Raja Azlan was elevated to the Bench of the High Court of Malaya being the youngest judge to be appointed in the Commonwealth. In 1973, he was made a Federal Court judge and six years later in 1979, Chief Justice of Malaya, an office which he held until his appointment as the youngest-ever Lord President of the Federal Court of Malaysia on 12 November 1982.

Becoming Sultan

By a strange twist of fate, Raja Azlan Shah was installed Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak by his uncle, Sultan Idris Almutawakkil Alallahi Shah II on 1 July 1983. The long reign of that Sultan had taken its toll on Raja Azlan Shah's elder brothers. In that year, his only surviving elder brother, Raja Baharom Shah, refused the office of Crown Prince and Raja Azlan Shah was suddenly heir to the throne.

Within six months, Sultan Idris died and Azlan Shah succeeded to the throne of Perak on 3 February 1984. In April 1989, Sultan Azlan Shah became the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. He served the full five year term and returned as Sultan of Perak in 1994.

Royal family

Sultan Azlan Shah married a commoner from Penang, former teacher Bainun binti Mohamad Ali. She is styled as Her Royal Highness The Raja Permaisuri (Queen) of Perak, Tuanku Bainun Binti Mohd. Ali, D.K., D.M.N..

When Sultan Azlan Shah became Yang di-Pertuan Agong, she became the first ever commoner Raja Permaisuri Agong in the history of Malaysia. The couple were the first monarchs of Malaysia to be installed on new gilded silver thrones, replacing the wooden ancient thrones used between 1957 to 1994.

The royal couple have five children, two princes and three princesses. The eldest is Raja Nazrin Shah, who is also Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak. The others are Raja Dato’ Seri Azureen, Raja Dato’ Seri Ashman Shah, Raja Eleena and Raja Yong Sofia.

Raja Ashman Shah died on March 30, 2012.

2009 Perak constitutional crisis

In early 2009, he attracted heavy criticism for his involvement in the toppling of the Pakatan Rakyat state government, which led to the Perak Constitutional Crisis. His decision was subsequently reversed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which ruled that the Sultan was not constitutionally permitted to dismiss the Menteri Besar. However, upon appeal by Dato' Dr.Zambry bin Abd Kadir, Court of Appeal has reversed the decision made by the High Court on ground of the learned judge had wrongly interpreted relevant articles in Perak State Constitution which gives absolute discretionary power for the Sultan to withholding consent dissolution of State Legislative Assembly. It is also in view of the Court of Appeal, that the Sultan was correct to refuse dissolution of the assembly and directed Nizar to resign as he had lost the majority of confidence in assembly. The decision by Court of Appeal subsequently upheld unanimously by the five-man Bench of Federal Court on 10 February 2010 which declared Dato' Seri Dr Zambry as the rightful Perak Menteri Besar.

Social contributions

Among the positions Azlan Shah has held are Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 4 October 1971 - February 1984), Chairman of the Higher Education Advisory Council ( 1 November 1974 – 31 October 1976), and Chancellor of the University of Malaya ( 8 February 1986 to date).

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature by the University of Malaya on 30 June 1979 and an Honorary Doctorate of Law by Universiti Sains Malaysia on 28 June 1980.

Sultan Azlan has also been recognised by several foreign universities:

• University of Nottingham, Honorary Doctor of Law, 11 July 1986
• Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, Honorary Bencher, 1988
• Universitas Gajah Mada, Jogjakarta, Indonesia, Honorary Doctor of Law, 28 September 1990
• Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Honorary Doctor of Law, 30 October 1990
• Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, Honorary Doctor of Law, 19 December 1990.
• Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Honorary Fellow, 2 October 1991
• Royal College of Surgeons of England, Honorary Fellow, 1999.

Sultan Azlan was President of the Malaysian Hockey Federation until 2005, but remains the President of the Asian Hockey Federation and an Executive Board member of FIH (International Hockey Federation),. He is also an avid golfer, and is the patron of The Royal Perak Golf Club, The Iskandar Polo Club, Ipoh, The Kuala Kangsar Golf Club and The Perak Veteran Hockey Association.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament is an annual hockey tournament which is played in Ipoh named after Sultan Azlan Shah.

Sultan Azlan is the Royal Patron of the following student, graduate, professional and charitable clubs and associations, namely:

• The Malaysian Law Society in Great Britain and Éire
• The British Graduates Association of Malaysia
• The Academy of Medicine of Malaysia
• The Rotary Clubs
• The Lions Clubs
• The Royal Ipoh Club
• WWF-Malaysia

Death

Sultan Azlan Shah passed away on 28 May 2014 at 1:38 pm at the National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur at age 86. His body was laid to rest at the Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum near Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar after Asr prayers on 29 May.