Sultan Muhammad V steps down as Malaysia's King

KUALA LUMPUR — Sultan Muhammad V has stepped down as the Malaysia’s king with immediate effect, announced the Comptroller of the Royal Household on Sunday (Jan 6). 

His resignation will take immediate effect, the statement added. 

“His Royal Highness has informed this matter officially to the other rulers by writing to the secretary of the Conference of Rulers,” said the statement, which was issued from Istana Negara.

The Comptroller also said Sultan Muhammad V was ready to leave for Kelantan “to be with the state government and the people to protect and develop the state for the people’s benefit”.

Sultan Muhammad V, who is the Kelantan ruler, was rumoured to have been asked to abdicate following his reported marriage to former Russian model Oksana Voevodina. Istana Negara has neither confirmed nor denied the wedding.

It was also reported that the Malay rulers had an unscheduled meeting on Wednesday night, purportedly to discuss a matter regarding the monarchy.

The Malaysian Insight also learnt that the Agong met a senior ruler for dinner on Saturday night at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday said he has no knowledge of Sultan Muhammad V’s rumoured intention to abdicate.

He said he, too, had heard the rumours but did not receive official information.

“Like you, I have heard rumours. I didn’t receive letters or any official indication… so I am not going to talk about it.”

The Kelantan state government last Thursday denied speculation that Sultan Muhammad V will abdicate the Yang di-Pertuan Agong throne in the near future.

Kelantan’s Deputy Mentri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah dismissed the speculation as part of an effort to humiliate the Kelantan state government and asked the authorities to take action against those who were spreading the rumours.

“The Attorney-General’s Chambers must take action. This isn’t about the Sultan’s personal life but it is for an institution. The Agong is an institution and its honour must be defended,” he said.

“That’s the duty of the attorney-general. We wonder what the attorney-general is doing to the point that a lot of rumours, accusations and speculations have gone viral on social media. Action must be taken and investigation must be done.”

Last year, Sultan Muhammad V took a two-month leave and the Agong’s duties were taken over by Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Shah, which ended on Dec 31, 2018.

During his absence, believed to be due to medical treatment, it was reported that Sultan Muhammad V had married the former Russian beauty queen in Moscow.

Sultan Muhammad V was proclaimed as the country’s 15th Agong for a period of five years on Dec 13, 2016.

In his statement on Sunday, Sultan Muhammad V thanked his fellow Malay rulers for electing him as the Agong.

The Malay rulers will now have to meet to decide on who among them would be the nation’s 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT