The King & The Death Sentence

Today, let the kopitiam refresh the reader's memory on Malaysian history. This tale concerns the southern state of Johor and it's all powerful monarch, before his highness ascended the throne.

The Sultan of Johor, then Tengku Mahmood Iskandar, has a very controversial history. First he was stripped as the heir to the throne by his father, Sultan Ismail, in 1961 after assaulting six people. In 1972-73 however, the young monarch faced a much more serious charge. He was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to death by another young prince who is now the Raja of Perak, Hon. Mr. Justice Raja Azlan Shah.

The Sultan of Johor (Tengku Iskandar), was charged with murdering a Chinese man who was said to be a smuggler due to a dispute. When he was caught, Tengku Iskandar pleaded (falsely) that the man he murdered was a Communist agent. The court, presided by Raja Azlan Shah, didn't buy this story and sentenced him to death.

His father, Sultan Ismail, stepped in to save his eldest son from a gruesome fate. Tengku Iskandar was sentenced to six month's jail and ordered to pay a fine of RM6,000. However his father told him in no uncertain terms that he would never ascend the throne of Johor.

And so, Tengku Iskandar's brother Tunku Rahman, became the heir. Now in 1977 Sultan Ismail's wife, Ungku Tun Aminah, died in a car crash. Subsequently he married again to Tengku Nora binti Tengku Panglima Raja Ahmad. Tengku Iskandar seized this opportunity to marry the sister of his father's second wife - Tengku Zanariah binti Tengku Panglima Raja Ahmad.

A palace coup was in the making. Sultan Ismail was very ill in 1981.  The heir of the throne Tunku Rahman was away overseas. Suddenly Sultan Ismail passed away peacefully in 1981. What came next however was an even greater shock. Tengku Iskandar emerged from his father's death bed declaring that his father had pardoned him at his last breath and reinstated him as the heir.

What proof did he had? A document pardoning and reinstating himself as the Crown Prince with his father's fingerprint as a royal thumb of approval. The Chief Minister of Johor at that time, Tan Sri Othman Bin Mohd Saat, couldn't believe what had happened. He questioned Tengku Iskandar's fishy document. He had no power however to stop the royal coronation of Tengku Iskandar (neither did his brother who was overseas). Thus Tengku Iskandar ascended the throne of Johor and is now known as Sultan Iskandar.

The Chief Minister of Johor was pushed out of power in 1982 and the rest is history. Check the links to various shenanigans of Sultan Iskandar and his offspring after he ascended the throne (and became the most powerful man in Johor):

1. Demolish Causeway
2. Malaysian Royal Arrested Over Wedding Brawl
3. Douglas Gomez Assault and Private Adam Amok
4. Son of Royal Beats Policeman's Wife

Those are but a sample of the thuggish behavior of this most powerful royal family. The Douglas Gomez assault and it's consequences in law is covered here.

Technorati tags: malaysia, history, johor, sultan, iskandar, royal, king

May 13 Recollections: A Melaka Student

To commemorate the 38th anniversary of the bloody race riots of May 13th 1969, the kopitiam will share one of the many verbal accounts of people who lived through that dark stain in our history.

The protagonist, a Melaka student, was studying with friends at a school on that fateful day. Unaware of what was happening in the country, they trooped off happily home as dusk approached. Suddenly, a Malay man wearing only a sarong came running towards them, carrying a shotgun. He pointed it upwards and asked them to get home - there was a curfew in place - all people who violate the curfew will be shot on the spot.

The students were befuddled. They didn't really comprehend what the man was talking about. So they continued walking back home, unperturbed. As they got neared and nearer a town, army trucks whizzed past them on the way to Kuala Lumpur. There were soldiers everywhere, grim faced and silent. Now with fear the students decided to hitch at one of the student's house (which was nearby) for the night.

The whole night, they saw army trucks, soldiers and many vehicles moving through the silent deadly night. They peered outside the house and was seen by a soldier outside. Immediately he pointed the rifle at them and barked at them to go to sleep. So, they went to sleep.

Their sleep however was interrupted when noises were heard outside. There was a commotion. Many people, primarily Chinese, were fleeing from their homes. Bewildered, they asked some of the people what the heck was going on? Above the din they could make out that a large group of Malay villagers armed with parangs and swords were descending on them.

So they ran and ran to the next residential area. Now at that time, much of Kuala Lumpur , Melaka and Selangor were controlled by secret societies that enforced ruthless racial and territorial boundaries. The residential area which they fled to belonged to another gang. The gang members thought they were coming for a fight, so many people were roused and they started whacking the people who just fled.

Only a while later did they realize that these people did not come for a fight, but were running away from the Malay villagers. Realizing their mistakes, both sides of people joined in fleeing some more. Others, itching for a fight, went to fight with the Malay villagers. What happened to them, nobody knows; the exact number of people killed (mainly Chinese) were not counted and many were buried in mass graves. As for the protagonist, he/she is healthy and alive, or else how will the kopitiam here of this story?

That is one of many verbal recollections of people who lived through May 13. There are many more of them out there. Please feel free to share it here.

Technorati tags: may 13, malaysia, history

Airod and the Court Martial

Recently several allegations of corruption against Airod President Tan Sri Ahmad Johan has resurfaced. They range from siphoning of Airod's money into the personal accounts of Tan Sri Ahmad Johan to corrupt arms deals involving the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

However, what the kopitiam is more interested in is in a certain event that happened a long time ago to the Airod President Tan Sri Ahamad Johan, when he was still a lowly captain in the Malaysian Rangers. It seems that the esteemed Tan Sri committed an offense that warranted a court martial to indict him.

Luckily for the esteemed Tan Sri, a high ranking officer within the Rangers stepped in and came to his defense. As this officer was well known as a courageous, honest and capable man, the court martial proceeding against the esteemed Tan Sri was dropped. This officer was also the most trusted subordinate of a high-ranking Brigadier-General.

The story does not end there. After this officer's stint in the armed forces ended, he was hired by Tan Sri Ahmad Johan to a mid-level managerial position in Airod many years later as a sign of gratitude. What is funny though is that the kopitiam has seen this very officer is also a die hard PAS and Keadilan supporter. Ironic how the world works, no?

As for what the esteemed Tan Sri was charged with in the court martial, they are inconclusive. Anyone have any ideas?

Further Reading:

• Parliament Minutes 17 June 2003
• Malaysia Today

Technorati tags: malaysia, defence, airod