Agong confers award on Johor Sultan

JOHOR BARU: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah has conferred the Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (DMN) award on the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, who represented the King, handed over the award to Sultan Ibrahim in a ceremony at Istana Bukit Serene here today.
The half-hour ceremony was also witnessed by Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim.
Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, and Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The award is conferred on the sultan or ruler of a state.
Meanwhile, the Johor ruler's coronation ceremony on March 23 will be steeped in regal tradition that is remarkably unique, a combination of three rich royal legacies – Malay, English and Islam.
The last coronation ceremony held for a Johor ruler goes back 55 years, the coronation of the late Sultan Ismail (1959-1981) on Feb 10, 1960.
The nine ceremonies leading to the coronation start on March 16 and among them are the siram tabal (bathing ceremony) on March 21 rooted in the Malay traditions using water which comes from the rivers in the 10 districts of Johor and the Malay rites like "bertepung tawar".
On the eve of the coronation, a prayer and thanksgiving will be held at the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque and the mosques in the districts.
The coronation will take place at Bilik Singgahsana (throne room), Istana Besar, and will be telecast live to the masses through RTM.