1 Country, 9 Kings: A Look Into Malaysia’s Monarchy
How have 9 monarchs been able to share a single throne for over 60 years?
Like many democratic countries, Malaysia functions as a Constitutional Monarchy. Similarly to countries such as the United Kingdom, Malaysia’s Government is headed by elected officials chosen by the people while a Monarch, whose powers and functions are set out in the country’s Constitution, functions as Head Of State.
However, unlike other Monarchs who are generally part of a single, unbroken line of rulers, Malaysia has nine royal families who share the country’s throne. For over six decades, this has been the norm in Malaysia with the country’s unique Monarchy being acknowledged as the only one of its kind. Let’s take a look at how nine kings are able to rule a single country.
The Types Of Kings
Malaysia is made up of thirteen States and three Federal Territories. Nine of these States are ruled by Malaysia’s Kings who are known as Sultans. Among the nine Sultans, one ruler is chosen to serve as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or the Agong for short.