Iskandar of Johor

Sultan Iskandar ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail (Jawi: المتوكل على ﷲ سلطان إسكندر الحاج ابن المرحوم سلطان إسماعيل الخالدي; 8 April 1932 – 22 January 2010) was Sultan of Johor, succeeding his father Sultan Ismail upon the latter's death in 1981.

Friday 8 April 1932 in Istana Semayam, Johor Bahru.

(He had two older brothers, both of whom died in infancy.) Mahmood received his primary and lower secondary education in Ngee Heng Primary School and the English College Johore Bahru (now Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar) in Johor Bahru.

In 1952, he was sent to Australia for higher secondary education at the Trinity Grammar School.

After completing high school in 1953, Mahmood travelled to the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom, where he was enrolled in the Upper Chine School for three years.

Upon completing his studies, Mahmood returned to Malaysia in 1956 and briefly served as a cadet officer in the Johor Civil Service, taking charge of affairs in District Affairs, Land and Treasury departments until his appointment as the Tunku Mahkota of Johor in May 1959.

Mahmood was appointed the Tunku Mahkota of Johor from 1959 to 1961, and Raja Muda of Johor from 1966 to 1981, by Sultan Ismail.

These claims were made by citing records of past notorious incidents, which include an experience of being disinherited from being the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (or Crown Prince in English) by his father, in 1961, as well as a series of alleged criminal acts occurring between the 1970s and the 1990s which were published in the press and provoked widespread moral outrage within the Malaysian public.

During his younger days as a prince, Iskandar was commonly known by his first name, "Mahmood" or his full name "Mahmood Iskandar".

He largely discontinued the use of his first name after he became Sultan in 1981, although some people still referred to him by his full name on an occasional basis.

Sultan Iskandar (known as Tunku Mahmood Iskandar until 1981) was the third and eldest surviving son of Sultan Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim by Sultanah Aminah binti Ungku Ahmad, and was born on at 11:30 am.

On 29 April 1981, he was re-appointed as the Tunku Mahkota shortly before his father's death.

On 10 May 1981, Mahmood was appointed as the Regent of Johor following the death of his father, and was sworn in as Sultan a day later, shortly before his father was buried.

He previously reigned as the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the constitutional monarch of Malaysia, from 1984 to 1989.

Under the council of rulers, the elective monarchy system of Malaysia, Sultan Iskandar was elected on 9 February 1984 as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, shortly before his predecessor's term expired on 26 April 1984.

He succeeded the Sultan of Pahang as the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong on 26 April.

A royal investiture was held shortly after that, in which he donned the traditional suit of the Agong, whereby he was officially installed.

In turn, his younger brother, Tunku Abdul Rahman (not to be confused with Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister), formerly the Tunku Mahkota of Johor for twenty years under Sultan Ismail, was demoted to a lower position, the Tunku Bendahara of Johor, a post which he held until his death in 1989.

In the same year on 12 December, Sultan Iskandar was appointed as the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Unlike the other preceding Sultan of Johors who had their own coronation ceremony, he did not have one.

Sultan Iskandar served in the capacity as the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong until 1989, whereby the Sultan of Perak succeeded him.

As the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Iskandar was automatically designated under constitutional provisions as the Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, holding the rank of the Marshal of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Malaysian Navy and Field Marshal of the Army.

The 1992 Gomez incident surrounding the Sultan eventually culminated in the removal of "legal immunity" for members of the royal family.

Sultan Iskandar is reputed to have been a staunch disciplinarian, with willingness to occasionally voice personal opinions on governmental issues.

On the personal side, subjects who have personally approached the Sultan in his later years described him as a person with a warm and generous personality.

However, past critics had also argued that Sultan Iskandar was a person with a turbulent temper.

On 8 April 2006, the Sultan appointed his grandson Tunku Ismail Idris—the son of the Tunku Mahkota then—as the Raja Muda during an investiture in conjunction on his birthday.

The rank of Raja Muda denotes that Ismail is second in position in terms of the order of succession to the Johor royal throne.

Sultan Iskandar held annual open house events either at Istana Bukit Serene, his official residence, or at Istana Besar.

Sultan Iskandar's reign lasted for almost 29 years until his own death in 2010.

His children are married into the different royal houses of Malaysia.

His eldest daughter Tunku Kamariah married the Tengku Laksamana of Selangor, Tengku Sulaiman Shah.

His successor and eldest son Sultan Ibrahim married Raja Zarith Sofiah of the Perak Royal Family.

His daughter Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah married the heir apparent of Pahang, now Sultan Abdullah.

His younger son Tunku Abdul Majid married a member of the Kedah Royal Family, Tunku Teh Mazni.

As was the case with his grandfather, Sultan Ibrahim, Sultan Iskandar's independent mindset resulted in strained relations with the Malaysian federal government on numerous occasions.

This was more so during his days as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, whereby a number of notable public incidents involved Sultan Iskandar.

Nevertheless, Sultan Iskandar was reputed to show great concern to his subjects, and was held in high esteem by many of his subjects–particularly the Malays and Orang Aslis.

His time as the Sultan of Johor was marred by accusations of violence and brutality.

Sultan Iskandar was notorious for his bad temper which often resulted in violent episodes of rage and brutality to members of his staff and the general public.