Coronation is a ceremony where a sovereign succeeds to a throne upon the death of the

preceding monarch. The ceremony of crowning a king is one of the glorious occasions held in a
particular state in Malaysia. This year, history will be made where all the people in Perak will
witness the coronation of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah
ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Shah. Most people would probably well informed that His Royal
Highness is the 35th Sultan of Perak who is replacing the Almarhum Sultan Azlan Shah, but there is
possibility that they do not really understand the real concept of the constitutional monarchy like
what we are practicing now. Thus today in the glorious morning I will explain the real concept and
role of the constitutional monarchy as well as its challenges in conjunction to the coronation of His
Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah.

Malaysia is one of the many countries in the world which practices the constitutional monarchy. Our
country is ruled by an elected monarch as the Head of the State. His Majesty is elected from among
the nine Malay rulers of the nine Malay states in rotation. The rotation system was formulated based
on the internal policies and understanding within the Conference of Rulers. The selection is done
accordance with the stipulated order of names on the royal appointment list. This Conference of
Rulers was provided for under Article 38 of the Federal Constitution to create a platform for the
Sultans to meet, confer and come to a consensus to select one of their peers to become King once
every five years. During the course of his duties, His Majesty will handle matters upon the advice of
the Prime Minister. As a leader, the Sultan plays many vital roles to his people who are made up of
all races, cultures and traditions. The Sultan is the Head of the State thus he is the symbol of the
unity of the people. He plays an important role in avoiding any conflicts or power struggles. He helps
in strengthening the institutional integrity of the monarchy in our country. The Sultan is very
committed to his responsibilities as the constitutional ruler and the role model to his people. Our
Sultan has the highest power to commission Malaysian ambassadors and high commissioners for
their duties abroad. One of the responsibilities is attending various functions to give contributions
and show some supports. Besides that, he has the role in safeguarding the special position of the
Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate interests of the other communities too.

The Sultan is the Head of Religion. He has been brought up in religious principles and well-rounded
education. By being the Head of Religion, the Sultan can make decisions regarding the religious
matters. The Sultan is the highest authority on such issues and he has the power to issue any
statement on that particular matter. This is because religious issues are sensitive matters and it is the
Sultan who is the most eligible person to make the statement. The Sultan is renowned for his refined
and well-mannered personality. This is because he has been groomed with the noble values and high

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moral characters from a very early age. Due to his noble values and high moral characters, the Sultan
has the power to grant pardons in respect of all offences which have been tried by court-martial and
all offenced committed in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

Being the Head of State, the Sultan faces some challenges he needs to overcome. One of the biggest
challenges is some people do not understand the role and functions of the kings. They believe that
the king is merely a symbol to the country. These people look up more to the leaders such as the
Prime Minister and the other ministers to govern the country that they think can rule better than the
Sultan. These people do not realise how important the existence of a Sultan in a particular country
like Malaysia. They do not have the basic knowledge about the lineage of the Malay rulers and they
are lack of awareness on how important the sovereignty of a country. They do not show appreciation
of the concept of the sovereignty. As a result, there is a huge gap between the king and his people.
The challenges faced by the Sultan are because of the effects of negative external threats. There are
some groups of people who misuse the social media to criticize the king institutions. They do not
respect or appreciate the Sultan. The main reason why these people doing so is because they might
think that the king is no longer a relevant institution to rule the country anymore. They probably are
comparing our monarchy system with the globalization and modernization of the monarchy in the
west countries.

In order to overcome these issues and improve the relationship between the Sultan and the people,
everyone should work hand in hand. The social media such as the television is one of the greatest
medium that we can use to instill the good value to people such as the obedience to the king and the
country. The television could broadcast some programmes about the constitutional monarchy and all
the Malay rulers so that the viewers can understand the monarchy system and the roles of our
Sultans. Some of the possible and interesting programmes that could be aired on the television are
the documentary prorammes about the role of the Sultan as the leader of a country and some talk
shows with the Sultan. During the talk shows, the hosts might ask the Sultan about their daily lives,
hobbies and interests. The Sultan himself could give the advice and hopes directly to his people
through the talk shows. By having such programmes, the people will have more knowledge about the
responsibilities shoulder by the Sultans and appreciate their efforts and deeds. In addition, the people
will feel closer and know their own Sultan well even though it is difficult to meet him in person. We
can use the social network too such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs to explain about the roles and
responsibilities of the Sultan. Besides that, these medium could be used to educate the people on
what they could do to show their gratitude to the Sultans. The citizens should practice the second
principle of our National Principles which is the loyalty to the King and the country. They should not

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criticize their own Sultan publicly in the social media because it could be spread everywhere around
the world. This could give the negative image to the Sultan as well as to the country itself.

Recently, the education system in Malaysia has introduced the new subject in school which is the
Civics and Citizenship Education subject. The main objectives of the implementation of this subject
are to educate the young generation about the king and the country as well as to develop their love
and loyalty to the country. Through this subject, the students will learn about their role as the
citizens. Furthermore, the teachers will teach them on how to be the loyal citizens and strategies to
show the love to the Sultan and country. In addition, the History subject has become the compulsory
subject as the means to help the students be the good citizens. The students are hoped to learn the
subject about the history of the national heritage. The implementation of these two subjects in school
is considered as a brilliant strategy done by the Education Ministry to improve the students’
understanding and knowledge about the Sultans and the country’s history.

On the other hand, the Sultans themselves should also put some efforts to improve the relationship
by getting closer with the people. They should be involved in any charity work in order to become
the role models to the people. The Sultan should pay a visit and offer help to their people who might
become the victims in any natural disasters such as flood and landslides. The most recent natural
disaster was flood in some states such as in Kelantan, Pahang and certain parts of Perak. This is the
great chance for the Sultan to help the citizens. By getting involved in the community activities and
services, the people will get to know their rulers better. They will appreciate and love their Sultans
more.

In conclusion, it is not easy to be a leader of a small community what more to be the Sultan,
the leader of a country. However, a leader will not be a great one without the supports from the
people under his reign. The Sultan and the people should always support each other and work
together to develop and protect the country. As the citizens, we should understand that the Sultan has
huge responsibility as a leader. Let’s appreciate our Sultan of Perak and show our gratitude by being
the loyal people to His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah. Long live
the King!

(1513 words)