THE usually quiet royal town of Seri Menanti was a flurry of activity in recent days ahead of the installation of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the state’s eleventh Yang Di-Pertuan Besar at the Istana Besar in Kuala Pilah on Monday.
The town was turned into a riot of colours as elaborate ceremonies steeped in royal splendour to install the new state ruler began in earnest on Oct 22.
Although the ceremony was carried live over RTM1, it did not stop his subjects from turning up in droves to witness the event.
Celebrations had begun on Oct 1 in other parts of the state with billboards, bunting and banners put up at almost every turn and the people pledging loyalty to the new ruler.
Guard of honour: Tuanku Muhriz inspecting the guard of honour before the installation ceremony at Istana Besar Seri Menanti. The last time such a ceremony was held was in 1968, when Tuanku Muhriz’s uncle, Tuanku Ja’afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman, was installed as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
Tuanku Muhriz, who is the grandson of the country’s first Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, had been proclaimed state ruler following the death of his predecessor Tuanku Ja’afar on Dec 27 last year.
The 61-year-old ruler’s father, Tuanku Munawir, who reigned from 1960 to 1967, was the state’s ninth ruler.
The Negri Sembilan royal family has its roots in Pagar Ruyong and it was the practice then to bring in the early rulers from the sultanate based on the Adat Perpatih system.
The first ruler to be brought in was Raja Melewar, who reigned from 1773 to 1795.
Born in Seri Menanti on Jan 14, 1948, Tuanku Muhriz was chosen as the successor among the Putera Yang Empat (four senior princes), who, apart from him, were Tunku Laxamana Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar, Tunku Muda Serting Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar and Tuanku Panglima Besar Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar.
The Yang Di-Pertuan Besar is elected by the four Undang or local chieftains in the state.
They are the the Undang of Sungei Ujong Datuk Mubarak Dohak, Undang Jelebu Datuk Musa Wahab, Undang Rembau Datuk Muhamad Sharip Othman and Undang Johol Datuk Mohd Jan Abdul Gani.
Tuanku Muhriz spent his formative years in Negri Sembilan, attending the Tuanku Muhammad school in Kuala Pilah, Tunku Besar school in Tampin and the King George V school in Seremban.
Royal regalia: Palace officals carrying the royal regalia ‘Peti Bunian’ to the Balairong Seri for Tuanku Muhriz’s installation ceremony. He went on to attend the Aldenham School, Elstree, England, where he completed his O-Levels and A-Levels. He then studied law at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he graduated with an LLB in 1970.
Upon graduation, the music enthusiast, who was the leader of a band called The Prince and the Paupers while studying there, returned to Malaysia and began a diverse career which included stints in the banking, financial services and advertising industries.
Celebrations at the palace in Seri Menanti began with the ceremony to emplace the royal regalia in the forecourt of the Istana Besar last Thursday.
The royal regalia symbolises the sovereignty of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and comprises parasols, kris, swords, spears and banners.
The regalia will remain in the Istana forecourt during the installation period, after which it will be returned to the Balairong Seri or throne room.
On the eve of the installation, the royal couple had to undergo the adat bersiram or bathing ceremony, which is compulsory.
Tuanku Muhriz and his consort, Tunku Ampuan Besar Negri Sembilan Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud, were carried on the royal carriage from the Istana to the ceremonial dais, where the Orang Empat Istana (senior ceremonial officers) encircled the royal couple seven times in accordance with custom before beginning the cleansing ritual.
The senior ceremonial officers, led by Dato’ Seri Amar DiRaja, then presented the royal couple with powdered limewater (air bedak limau), which symbolises purity.
At the installation ceremony, Undang Sungei Ujong Datuk Mubarak Dohak, speaking on behalf of the other three ruling chieftains, proclaimed the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
Prior to being proclaimed the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, Tuanku Muhriz, an avid sportsman and a fan of London-based Arsenal football club, was a board member of a regional bank.
Regal affair: Tuanku Muhriz and his consort Tuanku Aishah Rohani looking resplendent in bright yellow outfits during the installation ceremony at the Istana Besar Seri Menanti throne room. They were flanked by the Putera Yang Empat. He met Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud, a member of the Terengganu royal family, while working in a bank in Kuala Lumpur. They tied the knot on April 25, 1974.
The royal couple is blessed with three sons. They are Tunku Ali Redhauddin, 32, Tunku Zain Al-Abidin, 27, and Tunku Alif Hussein Saifuddin Al-Amin, 25.
Tunku Alif is a child with special needs since birth and both Tuanku Muhriz and Tuanku Aishah took up courses in the United States, which included therapy and treatment of children with special needs.
Apart from being state ruler, Tuanku Muhriz is also the head of Islamic affairs in the state, colonel in chief of the Royal Signals Regiment as well as the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corp, and the chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Tuanku Muhriz has contributed to a variety of charitable causes, particularly in expanding educational opportunities through his membership of the Board of Trustees of the Tinggi Foundation (which provides scholarships to deserving Malaysians).
Tuanku Aishah had been installed on April 14 as the state practises a system in which the ruler’s consort is installed ahead of him.
Their oldest son, Tunku Ali Redhauddin, took over his father’s previous title as Tunku Besar Seri Menanti on Feb 22.
Present to witness the installation were the representatives of the Malay rulers, the Pengiran Muda of Brunei and his consort, the governors of Penang, Malacca and Sabah, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and several Cabinet ministers.
As a thanksgiving gesture, a royal banquet was held last night and attended by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Sultan of Brunei, the Malay rulers, senior federal and state officials and other dignitaries.
Celebrations will culminate in a procession of floats, a fireworks display and a cultural performance on Oct 30 and a concert the following day in Seremban.
Members of the public will be feted to a Jamuan Rakyat or public feast today at the Tunku Laksamana Nasir school padang in Kuala Pilah.
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