Thousands gather to see Johor Sultan off on journey to KL to ascend federal throne

JOHOR BAHRU – Thousands gathered in front of the Senai International Airport Mosque in Johor from as early as 7am on Jan 31 to send off the state’s ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, as he made his way to Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur to take his oath as Malaysia’s 17th king.

The royal entourage arrived at the last checkpoint in front of the mosque at 8.30am, greeted by loud cheers of “Daulat Tuanku” (“Long live the king”) from the crowds that lined the roads.

More than 2,000 people gathered in front of the mosque, one of 15 locations for the public to show their support from Istana Bukit Serene all the way to the Royal Hangar at the airport.

The crowd started to build right after dawn prayers, with some arriving as early as 5am to avoid being stuck in traffic.

About 30,000 people, including students and state civil servants, observed Sultan Ibrahim’s journey along a 35km stretch of road from Istana Bukit Serene, the Sultan’s Johor residence, to the Royal Hangar, Bernama reported.

The royal entourage left Istana Bukit Serene at around 7.45am.

Sultan Ibrahim departed for Kuala Lumpur on his private plane at 9am, accompanied by Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

The ceremony of taking the oath of office and signing the instrument of office was held at the 264th (Special) Meeting of the Conference of Rulers at the throne room in Istana Negara.

At the ceremony, Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Shah was sworn in as Malaysia’s deputy king.

In the presence of the other Malay rulers, members of the royal family and dignitaries, Sultan Ibrahim signed the instruments of proclamation of office, the contents of which were read out by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK