KUALA LUMPUR: Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah recently disclosed that he did not take a salary during his five-year reign as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the country.
"I did not take a salary till now," he said in a recent interview with the media at Istana Negara where he shared his views on the importance of political stability, the future of the monarchy, as well as his closeness to the people.
He also shared that his first moments as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong were challenging, given his relative inexperience.
"I look upon my first days in a better light now. I was unsure of what to expect. I was the Sultan of Pahang for only 15 days before being appointed as the king. It was difficult but I learned slowly.
"Who am I when compared with those with more experience, but I asked many questions, studied and read."
During his reign, Al-Sultan Abdullah attended 160 pre-cabinet meetings. Before meeting the prime minister, he would read up on the cabinet papers to understand the issues.
"If I disagreed with anything, I would state my view. Alhamdulillah, my views were accepted and vice versa. It was a two-way cooperation and my advice to the prime minister was relayed to the cabinet," he said.
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During the interview, Al-Sultan Abdullah also showed the press seven journals which he used to note down information and advice to the government.
He said he found the administrative aspects fascinating, as he was never involved in such matters in his 16 years as the Pahang crown prince and 15 days as the sultan.
"These journals can be used as reference by my family when I'm older. I've also had offers to pen my memoirs, but perhaps not yet. I've also offered to share my experiences as the king with a university if they want to conduct a case study."