Ruler who excelled in legal service, sports arena

PETALING JAYA: Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Sultan Yussuf Izzudin Ghafarullahu-lah (pix), or better known to Malaysians as Sultan Azlan Shah, who passed away today at the National Heart Institute, was a ruler who, besides having the common man's interest at heart, also excelled in his service to the judiciary and the sports arena.
The Ruler of Perak was the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong from April 26, 1989 to April 25, 1994.
Born on April 19, 1928, as the fourth and youngest son of Sultan Yussuf Izzudin Sultan Abdul Jalil and his consort Toh Puan Hatijah Datuk Seri Wangsa Ahmad, no one actually thought that one day he would ascend the throne and rule Perak.
Raised in Batu Gajah, Sultan Azlan Shah received his early education at the Government English School there, now known as SM Sultan Yussuf before pursuing his secondary education at the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar.
In 1951, the Ruler left Malaya to read law at the University of Nottingham where he was conferred the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1953. On Nov 23, 1954, he was admitted to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn.
On returning to Perak, he initially took on the post assistant state secretary, a post he left within a year to pursue a career in legislation.
He joined the Judicial and Legal Service of the Federation of Malaya where he served as a first class magistrate and president of the sessions court before being appointed a federal counsel and a deputy public prosecutor, legal adviser to Pahang and Johor, registrar of the High Court of Malay and chief registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia.
At the age of 37, he was elevated to the Bench of the High Court of Malaya and became the youngest judge to be appointed in the Commonwealth. From being a Federal Court judge in 1973, he rose to become lord president (now chief justice) of the Federal Court of Malaysia in 1982.
It was on Aug 19, 1962 when Sultan Azlan Shah was appointed as Raja Kechil Bongsu following the demise of Raja di-Hilir Kamaralzaman Raja Mansur on July 19.
Hardly five months into holding the position, his father died and he was promoted to Raja Kechil Tengah and subsequently as Raja Kecil Besar and later as Raja Muda following the demise of Raja Muda Musa Sultan Abdul Aziz on May 12, 1983.
With the sudden passing of Sultan Idris Shah Sultan Iskandar Shah on Jan 30, 1984, Sultan Azlan Shah ascended the Perak throne on Feb 3, 1984 as the 34th Sultan of Perak.
Sultan Azlan Shah married Tuanku Bainun Mohd Ali in 1955.
The couple were blessed with five children. The eldest is Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, the Raja Muda of Perak, followed by Raja Datuk Seri Azureen, Raja Kecil Sulung Datuk Seri Ashman Shah, Raja Datuk Seri Eleena and Raja Yong Sofia.
Sultan Azlan Shah had a strong enthusiasm for sports, especially hockey.
He was the president of the Malaysian Hockey Federation, president of the Asian Hockey Federation and vice-president of FIH (International Hockey Federation). More importantly, an annual international field hockey tournament held in Malaysia, The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, was named after him.
The tournament, which began in 1983 as a biennial contest, became an annual event after 1998.
Sultan Azlan Shah was also an avid golfer.
Apart from his keen involvement in sports, Sultan Azlan Shah was a royal patron to many professional and learned societies, including The Malaysian Law Society in Great Britain and Eire, The Academy of Medicine of Malaysia and The British Graduates Association of Malaysia.