Keeper of the Rulers' Seal

Keeper of the Rulers' Seal
Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja
ڤڽيمڤن موهور بسر راج٢
Logo of the Office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal
since January 2011
AppointerConference of Rulers
Inaugural holderRaja Ayob Raja Bot
Formation1948
Websitewww.majlisraja-raja.gov.my

The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal (Malay: Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja, Jawi: ڤنڽيمڤن موهور بسر راج٢) is the government official in Malaysia charged with custody and use of the Rulers' Seal of Malaysia on behalf of the Conference of Rulers. The Rulers' Seal is the symbol of the traditional authority of the royal institutions in Malaysia, namely the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) and the hereditary rulers of the states of Malaysia.[1] The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal is the secretary to the Conference of Rulers and convenes the Conference three times a year, or at the request of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He is appointed by the Conference as specified in the Constitution of Malaysia.[2]

His most publicly visible role is to announce the beginning of fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the dates of the Muslim religious holidays, Aidilfitri and Aidiladha, in Malaysia.[3]

History

The office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal was established in preparation for the first meeting of the Conference of Rulers on February 18, 1948.[4] Prior to independence, the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal was a senior government position, equal in stature to the most senior Menteri Besar among the states in the Federation of Malaya. This changed after independence in 1957, when all the rulers became constitutional monarchs under the federal and state constitutions.[5]

Role

Instrument of appointment of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, issued by the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal, and printed with the Rulers' Seal.

The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal's primary administrative responsibility is to convene the Conference of Rulers by serving notices to the nine hereditary rulers and four non-hereditary Yang di-Pertua Negeri (governors). His office is responsible for arranging the transportation of the rulers and governors from their respective states to the meeting venue.[6] During special meetings of the Conference to elect a new Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he is responsible for distributing and then counting the ballot papers, which are kept secret.[7]

The second highest position in the Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal is the Assistant Secretary of the Conference of Rulers, who assists in managing the Conference's meetings and elections.[7][8]

List of Keepers of the Rulers' Seal

Listed below are Keepers of the Rulers' Seal from 1948 to present:[9]

# Keeper of the Rulers' Seal From To Duration
1 Raja Ayob Raja Bot February 1948 May 1948 90 days
2 Abdullah Nordin June 1948 December 1949 1 year, 214 days
3 Raja Shahar Shah Raja Haron April 1949 December 1949 275 days
4 Tengku Husin Tengku Yahaya January 1950 May 1950 120 days
5 Tunku Ya'acob Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah May 1950 January 1952 1 year, 276 days
6 Mustafa Al-Bakri Hasan February 1952 January 1954 2 years, 1 day
7 Tunku Ya'acob ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah February 1954 December 1955 1 year, 334 days
8 Mustafa Al-Bakri Hasan January 1956 August 1957 1 year, 243 days
9 Abdul Rahim Abdul Rauf September 1957 May 1963 5 years, 274 days
Acting Tunku Shahriman Tunku Sulaiman June 1963 August 1963 92 days
Acting Aziz Zakaria September 1963 October 1963 30 days
10 Ahmad Husin October 1963 September 1980 17 years, 5 days
11 Ahmad Zainal Abidin Muhammad Yusof October 1980 September 1988 8 years, 2 days
Acting Abdul Rahim Kassim, Assistant Secretary of the Conference of Rulers October 1988 December 1988 92 days
12 Engku Ibrahim Engku Ngah January 1989 January 2011 22 years, 5 days
13 Syed Danial Syed Ahmad[10] January 2011 present 12 years, 124 days

See also

References

  1. ^ Fungsi Mohor Besar Raja-raja Archived 2010-08-26 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  2. ^ Role Of The Conference Of Rulers In Constitutional Monarchy System In Malaysia Malaysian Monarchy. Accessed June 8, 2010
  3. ^ Soalam lazim Archived 2010-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  4. ^ Penubuhan Archived 2010-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  5. ^ Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja Archived 2010-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  6. ^ Fungsi Pejabat Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja Malaysia Archived 2010-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  7. ^ a b Election Of The Yang di-Pertuan Agong And Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong Malaysian Monarchy. Accessed June 8, 2010
  8. ^ Carta Organisasi Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  9. ^ Mantan Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja Archived 2010-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010
  10. ^ "Syed Danial is new Keeper of Rulers' Seal". The Star (Malaysia). 2011-01-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2011-04-13.