Road closure, large crowd expected in JB to send off Johor Sultan for inauguration as king

JOHOR BAHRU - Some 30,000 Johoreans are expected to make a line along a 35km stretch of road in Johor Bahru on Jan 31 to witness the sending-off ceremony of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar as the Johor ruler starts his journey as the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Johor police chief commissioner M. Kumar said that the Johor ruler was expected to leave Istana Bukit Serene at about 8am on Jan 31 and head straight to the royal hangar at Senai International Airport.

“His Majesty... is expected to reach the royal hangar in about an hour. Along the way, there will be thousands of Johoreans, estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000, who will cheer and show their support for the Sultan,” he said in a press conference.

He added that some 1,200 policemen and other supporting agencies would be deployed to ensure the journey runs smoothly.

The 35.5km of road will be closed for about an hour, starting from 7.45am.

“I urge those who have things to attend to in the morning to leave early. I would also like to remind the public to heed the advice of our personnel and officers for their own safety,” he said.

Mr Kumar also encouraged Johoreans to turn up for the ceremony to show their support for the Sultan.

“There are about 15 points along the way the people could go to if they want to join the crowd,” he said.

“I urge Johoreans to come forward and show support to our Sultan. This is a historic moment for us.”

At a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers held at Istana Negara in October 2023, Sultan Ibrahim was unanimously elected to become the 17th King of Malaysia.

His term would come into effect on Jan 31, 2024.

He would succeed the current King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah of Pahang, whose five-year term officially ends on Jan 30, 2024.

Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim was appointed Regent of Johor at Istana Bukit Serene on Jan 28, in anticipation of the Sultan’s ascent to the federal throne. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK