RULER NEEDS TO BE NEUTRAL, NON-PARTISAN

KUALA KANGSAR, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- The Ruler, as the Head of State and
Country, needs to be neutral, non-partisan and free of having personal interest
to ensure justice for the people, said the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin
Shah.

He said: "As the Head of State at the state level and Head of the Country at
the national level, the Ruler plays a role in upholding stability and justice,
and strengthening solidarity and unity.

"The presence of the Ruler helps in enhancing the effectiveness of the check
and balance mechanism, thus strengthening the institutions of the legislature,
executive and judiciary that have been created in the country; lifting the level
of public confidence in the system of government and system of nationhood based
on democratic practices, and the doctrine of the division of power," he said.

Raja Nazrin said this during the pledge of loyalty at the special
investiture in conjunction with the Silver Jubilee celebration of the reign of
Sultan Azlan Shah as the 34th Sultan of the northern state of Perak, at the
Iskandariah Palace, here Tuesday.

At the investiture, 25 individuals who had served the Sultan of Perak with
great loyalty were conferred the special award which carries the title "Datuk
Seri." The award was created in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Sultan
Azlan Shah's reign as the Sultan of Perak.

Raja Nazrin said that as the head of state and country, a Ruler must always
ensure that whatever he said and did were not misinterpreted and misunderstood.

He also said that the power entrusted by Allah s.w.t must be discharged with
responsibility because he (the Ruler) would be judged in the hereafter.

"As such, power must be exercised to implement good practices. The Ruler's
nobility and honour, position and sovereignty do not come automatically," he
said.

He said genuine nobility originated from the feeling of great respect that
emerged out of true love based on the fine characteristics of the individual and
not because of his rank, position, title or throne.

Referring to his father, Sultan Azlan Shah, Raja Nazrin said his father
clearly understood the sentiments and aspiration of his subjects who comprised
various races, religions and cultures.

"The height of the throne has never caused my father to ignore the welfare
of his subjects; the fence surrounding the palace has never prevented my father
from seeing the reality occurring in the state.

"Throughout his reign, my father has always upheld the principles of justice
based on the sovereignty of the law, giving emphasis on solidarity, cooperation,
consensus and consultation.

"My father has proven that the system of monarchy which continued to be
upheld, initially in the Federation of Malaya, and later in independent
Malaysia, was not only to maintain the continuity of civilisation, not merely to
complement the historical value and not merely to fulfill the sentimental value
of the nation, in fact, the monarchy was capable of instilling the spirit,
forming the feature and giving identity, particularly as a symbol of
maintaining the historical heritage of Malay governance in this country," he
said.

Raja Nazrin said that throughout the 471-year history of the Perak Sultanate
beginning with the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah I in the year 1528, Sultan
Azlan Shah is the fourth Sultan of Perak who had ruled for more than 25 years.

"Previously, the second Sultan of Perak, Sultan Mansur Shah I,ruled for 28
years (1549 - 1577), the 11th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Shah ruled
for 67 years (1653 - 1720) and the 29th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Murshidul
'Adzam Shah I, ruled for 29 years (1887 - 1916)," he added.
-- BERNAMA