Ahmad Abu Bakar of Pahang
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Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah (born Tengku Ahmad ibni Tengku Abu Bakar; October 24th, 1930 – May 22nd, 2019) was the fifth modern Sultan of Pahang, and also served as the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 26 April 1979 to 25 April 1984. His abdication as Sultan was decided by the Royal Council at an extraordinary meeting on 11 January 2019. A special amendment was passed on the state constitution that gave the body more power for this decision, citing the Sultan's incapability to rule due to his failing health. The abdication announced the next day which was retroactively effective on the day of the Royal Council meeting, paving the way to his son, Abdullah to succeed him as Sultan immediately, and subsequently be elected as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong later the same month.
Biography edit
Born on at 12:00 pm. Friday 24 October 1930 at Istana Mangga Tunggal, Pekan, Pahang. he was the only son of Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdullah Al-Mu’tassim Billah Shah (1932-1974) by his official and royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Besar Raja Fatimah binti Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Shah Kaddasullah (1910-1988), a princess of Perak royal family.
A student of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, he received diplomas in public administration from Worcester College, Oxford and the University of Exeter. He succeeded his father as sultan in 1974.
His election as the 7th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1979 was marked with controversy as he was said to be at odds with the incoming prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. However, the rumours proved to be untrue and he proved to be a keen admirer of the prime minister. Twenty-two years earlier, his father Abu Bakar had failed five times to be elected as the first Agong.
A controversial, headstrong personality, he has often forced his chief ministers in Pahang to resign over minor differences.
His favourite hobby was playing football, golf, polo, and equestrian activities.
His official and royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Afzan binti Tengku Panglima Perang Muhammad, a member of the Terengganu royal family, served as his Raja Permaisuri Agong but died of cancer on her return to Pahang on 29 June 1988. Sultan Ahmad Shah's second wife Kalsom binti Abdullah (nee Anita), was designated as the Sultanah of Pahang in 1991. They then both had a child, which is Tengku Arif Temenggong Pahang Tengku Fahd Mua'adzam.
Act of Villainy & Controversies edit
MYR2 million from Najib Razak edit
Records obtained by Sarawak Report from the task force investigations into 1MDB reveal that on 25th October 2012 Prime Minister Najib Razak paid Sultan Hj Ahmad Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar RM2 million from his own named bank account, No 2112022009694, which was in turn funded by hundreds of millions stolen from the development fund 1MDB.
It brings the multi-billion ringgit scandal to a new level. Hundreds of payments have already been identified as having been made to “ruling-party politicians” and to fund vote buying in elections.
Now it appears that even Malaysia’s constitutional rulers were receiving handouts from the Prime Minister from money stolen from Malaysia’s bogus development fund 1MDB.
The next payment on the list, a cheque that was transacted on 30th October, was a further RM2 million made out to the education foundation Yayasan Rahah, in the name of Najib’s mother. Several more millions have been made out in a series of further payments to the same foundation.
Najib and his wife Rosmah are known to be extremely close to Sultan Ahmad Shah, who has given the politician consistent support over the years. Such a significant personal payment from the Prime Minister of the Federation to the constitutional ruler of a constituent state raises very many questions of legitimacy and propriety.
These concerns are made more accute by the fact that it is now known that the money was stolen from a public fund and had been borrowed at extremely high rates of interest.
There is no reason to suggest that the Sultan would have known the money was stolen. In fact Najib still maintains, in the face of evidence produced by global investigators, banks and the US Dept of Justice, that the money was “donated” from a mysterious and anonymous Saudi Royal.
However, since Najib does not have any legitimate claim to great personal wealth, it begs the questions as to where the Sultan thought the money was coming from, why he accepted it and what it was for?
Sexual Assault edit
The Sultan of Pahang is accused of abandoning a daughter because of his alleged relationship with a Filipino nurse in the early 1980s. The girl, Carla Brizuela Shah, 19, and her mother Dina Brizuela Cooper, 47, now live in California, United States.
Dina claimed that she was forced to have sex with Sultan Ahmad Shah several times when she was appointed the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1979 to 1984. The woman said she was pregnant but did not care for her and her son. In recognition of his father's responsibilities, he previously agreed to negotiate with Dina for a sum of RM10 million since 1997.
Trivia edit
Sultan Ahmad Shah is a keen sportsman and was the President of the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) from 1984 until 2014, the President of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) until 2002 and Asean Football Federation (AFF) 2011.