KUALA LUMPUR: HISTORY was made on Friday when Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V was named the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong as he is the first king to ascend the throne without a consort.
According to the cycle of seniority, the next sultan in line for the throne was Sultan Muhammad V, but social media was flushed with debate and uncertainty on whether he could assume the post as he was without a consort.
National Council of Professors History, Heritage and Socio-culture Cluster committee member Professor Datuk Wira Dr Abdul Latiff Abu Bakar said, however, the election of the king did not hinge on whether a ruler had a consort.
He said there was no mention of the criterion to have a consort in the constitution, only that the consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was the Raja Permaisuri Agong.
“There is no issue if a Yang di-Pertuan Agong does not have a consort because it is not a compulsory qualification in the Federal Constitution.
“It all depends on the Conference of Rulers to vote on whether they see the sultan as fit to be the next king,” he told the New Sunday Times.
The election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong involved nine rulers casting their votes, and all that was needed was a simple majority to elect the next king. The votes were cast via secret ballot.
The sultan chosen as the next king, however, had the prerogative to decline the election.
In the seniority list, the sultan of Kelantan was the most senior, followed by the sultan of Pahang.