Sultan Ibrahim of Johor  

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Sultan Ibrahim was the 22nd Sultan of Johor, as well as the 2nd Sultan of Modern Johor, and probably also the longest reigning Malay Sultan in Malayan history, reigning for 64 years from 1895 and 1959.

Sultan Ibrahim of Johor

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar Al-Masyhur ibni Abu Bakar or Sultan Ibrahim II (17 September 1873 – 8 May 1959) was the 22nd Sultan of Johor, and also one of the richest men in the world during his 64-year reign from 1895 to 1959. He is, however, largely remembered as an anti-independence figure and wastrel, as well as a close and almost deferential ally of the British.


2.   Early life: Born in Istana Bidadari, Singapore to Sultan Abu Bakar and Zubaida binti Abdullah (nee Cecilia Catharina Lange), Tunku Ibrahim received his early education at a boarding school in England. He was formally installed as the first Tunku Mahkota of Johor in 1891, then aged 17. During his term as the Tunku Mahkota, Tunku Ibrahim acted occasionally as the state's regent whenever his father was traveling overseas.


3.   As Sultan of Johor: In 1895, Sultan Abu Bakar passed away in London and Tunku Ibrahim, then aged 21, was proclaimed as the Sultan of Johor. Upon taking over the state government, he came face-to-face with the financial difficulties which the state was facing. Many of his employees complained of delays in receiving their salaries, which was often paid in installments. Sultan Ibrahim then closely supervised the state treasury, and personally witnessed the payment of the state's employees during payment day. In 1910, the British colonial government successfully pressured Sultan Ibrahim to accept a British adviser for Johor and Douglas Graham Campbell, the British-Resident of Negeri Sembilan, became the first General Adviser of Johor. As a result of his frequent complaints of maladministration by the local British government, Sultan Ibrahim's relations with each General Adviser became strained. During the succeeding one-and-a-half year period from June 1918 until December 1920, following Campbell's death, 5 General Advisers were appointed in succession, each of whom took office only for a few months.


4.   World War II: Sultan Ibrahim had became a personal friend of Tokugawa Yoshichika, a scion of the Tokugawa clan, during the 1920s. Thus, when the Japanese invaded Malaya, Tokugawa accompanied General Yamashita Tomoyuki's troops and was warmly received by Sultan Ibrahim at the end of January 1942. Yamashita and his officers then stationed themselves at Istana Bukit Serene (the Sultan's residence), and the Sultan Ibrahim Building (the state secretariat building) to plan for the invasion of Singapore. The Japanese established a military government, shortly after they settled down in Malaya. From 1943 onwards, however, they began to experience economic difficulties and military defeats in the Pacific War, and they then gave orders to the Malay Sultans to contribute an annual stipend of $10,000 to support their war efforts. Shortly before the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Sultan Ibrahim was expelled from his residence at Istana Bukit Serene and was forced to reside at Istana Pasir Pelangi, the crown prince's palace. So bitter was Sultan Ibrahim who was once publicly rebuked for leaning on his walking stick before Japanese officers [2] that he asked for permission from the British to fly the Union Jack on his car to attend the surrender ceremony on 12 September 1945.


5.   Malay nationalism and Independence: Embittered by his experiences during the Japanese occupation years, Sultan Ibrahim quickly consented to the British proposal of the Malayan Union scheme, which was motivated partly by his strong desire to visit England at the end of 1945. Politicians in Johor were extremely unhappy with the Sultan's willingness to sign the Malayan Union scheme treaty, and shouted nationalistic slogans, calling for his dethronement. Sultan Ibrahim who was then in London approached the colonial office to withdraw his support for the proposed scheme, but this did not appease the political dissidents. Critical opinions against the Sultan, however, waned after the Federation of Malaya was established in January 1948, restoring the rulers' powers.


6.   Proposal for Johor's secession from the Federation of Malaya: Sultan Ibrahim became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of Johor as a state within the Federation of Malaya. In a letter, entitled "Straits Settlement Forever", which he wrote to The Straits Times, he expressed his skepticism over Johor's future as part of an independent Malaya, and voiced support for the continuation of the British Adviser system in Johor. At his Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1955, Sultan Ibrahim publicly called for Johor's secession from the Federation,[3] inspiring the formation of Persatuan Kebangsaan Melayu Johor (PKMJ) the following month. PKMJ was a secessionist movement led by Ungku Abdullah bin Omar, a Johor state executive councillor and relative of Sultan Ibrahim. The Alliance Party reacted strongly to the events and made active attempts to suppress and discredit the party. PKMJ rapidly lost most of its members to the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and by mid-1957, Ungku Abdullah only had 10 members left. At the Conference of Rulers in March 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman expressed his desire to elect Sultan Ibrahim as the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, but Sultan Ibrahim declined on grounds of his old age and desire to lead his final years in retirement. He spent the last 2 years of his life at his apartment at Grosvenor House in London, watching television, visiting theatres, and enjoying the company of his 6th wife, Marcella Mendl, and their beloved daughter, Tunku Meriam. On 8 May 1959, then aged 85, Sultan Ibrahim died at his apartment and his body was shipped back to Johor Bahru, arriving the following month.

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