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Malaysian king dies in hospital at age 75
King Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, who was elected under Malaysia`s unusual royal rotation system, died Wednesday after weeks of complications following heart surgery. He was 75.
King Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, who was elected
under Malaysia's unusual royal rotation system, died Wednesday after weeks of
complications following heart surgery. He was 75.
Salahuddin, who also was the sultan of Malaysia's Selangor state, died in Kuala Lumpur's Gleneagles private hospital at 11:57 a.m., Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said.
The king in Malaysia holds mostly ceremonial powers, and Salahuddin's death does not affect the functioning of the government.
Salahuddin assumed the throne in 1999 under a rotation system that chooses the constitutional monarch by secret ballot among the sultans of Malaysia's nine states. Each sultan takes a five-year turn as monarch of this Southeast Asian nation.
If a monarch dies in office, the title automatically goes to the deputy, and the sultans meet to choose a new No. 2.
Terengganu state's sultan, Mizan Zainal Abidin, has been acting king since Salahuddin was hospitalized in early October for heart surgery.
The king had a pacemaker fitted at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital, but he suffered renal failure and his health deteriorated afterward, Malaysia's Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said late Tuesday.
When the king's breathing failed on Nov. 17, he was placed on a ventilator and returned to Malaysia.
The king had earlier had two heart bypass operations in the United States, in 1994 and 1997. In a nationally televised address, Mahathir declared Thursday a national holiday. A seven-day mourning period was declared and Malaysians were urged to flay their flags at half-staff.
Malaysia inherited the constitutional monarchy system from Britain, which ruled as the colonial power until independence was granted in 1957. The king is head of state, but the power to govern resides with the federal Parliament and the prime minister.
But for ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up more than 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million people, the king is the supreme upholder of Malay tradition and the symbolic head of Islam - a legacy that dates back to the early 15th century.
Born on March 8, 1926, Salahuddin is survived by his wife, Siti Aishar, 29, whom he married in 1990, 10 sons and four daughters from a total of four marriages.
Bureau Report
Salahuddin, who also was the sultan of Malaysia's Selangor state, died in Kuala Lumpur's Gleneagles private hospital at 11:57 a.m., Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said.
The king in Malaysia holds mostly ceremonial powers, and Salahuddin's death does not affect the functioning of the government.
Salahuddin assumed the throne in 1999 under a rotation system that chooses the constitutional monarch by secret ballot among the sultans of Malaysia's nine states. Each sultan takes a five-year turn as monarch of this Southeast Asian nation.
If a monarch dies in office, the title automatically goes to the deputy, and the sultans meet to choose a new No. 2.
Terengganu state's sultan, Mizan Zainal Abidin, has been acting king since Salahuddin was hospitalized in early October for heart surgery.
The king had a pacemaker fitted at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital, but he suffered renal failure and his health deteriorated afterward, Malaysia's Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said late Tuesday.
When the king's breathing failed on Nov. 17, he was placed on a ventilator and returned to Malaysia.
The king had earlier had two heart bypass operations in the United States, in 1994 and 1997. In a nationally televised address, Mahathir declared Thursday a national holiday. A seven-day mourning period was declared and Malaysians were urged to flay their flags at half-staff.
Malaysia inherited the constitutional monarchy system from Britain, which ruled as the colonial power until independence was granted in 1957. The king is head of state, but the power to govern resides with the federal Parliament and the prime minister.
But for ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up more than 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million people, the king is the supreme upholder of Malay tradition and the symbolic head of Islam - a legacy that dates back to the early 15th century.
Born on March 8, 1926, Salahuddin is survived by his wife, Siti Aishar, 29, whom he married in 1990, 10 sons and four daughters from a total of four marriages.
Bureau Report