Tunku Abdul Majid

Tunku Abdul Majid Idris ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj[3][4][5] (born 20 July 1970, Johor Bahru)[6] is a member of the hereditary nobility in Malaysia as the prince (Tunku Aris Bendahara) of Johor. Tunku Majid has served in honorary positions in national sports associations including as President of the Malaysian Golf Association[7] and as Deputy President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.[8] An incident in 1992 in which Tunku Majid was alleged to have assaulted a hockey coach led to the ending of legal immunity for Malaysia's nobility.[9]

Tunku Abdul Majid
Tunku Aris Bendahara of Johor
Born (1970-07-20) 20 July 1970
Johor Bahru, Johor
SpouseTunku Teh Mazni Binti Tunku Yusuf[1]
Issue1. Tunku Mahmood Iskandar
2. Tunku Aisha Menjalara Iskandar
3. Tunku Abdul Mateen Idris Ismail Ibrahim Iskandar
Full name
Tunku Abdul Majid Idris ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj
HouseHouse of Temenggong[2]
FatherSultan Iskandar
MotherSultanah Zanariah
ReligionSunni Islam

He is the half-brother of the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail.

Biography

Tunku Majid is the second son of Sultan Iskandar by his second wife Sultanah Zanariah, and was born in 1970 at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru. In his youth, he was enrolled into English College Johore Bahru before pursuing his studies at MENLO College, Palo Alto in San Francisco. Tunku Majid also took part in international sports tournaments in the 1980s as a youth, particularly hockey and golf.[6] In 1989, after his uncle, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the incumbent Tunku Bendahara of Johor, Tunku Majid was appointed by his father to succeed Tunku Abdul Rahman.[10]

In January 2006, Tunku Majid married Tunku Teh Mazni Binti Tunku Yusuf, a member of Kedah and Kelantan royal family. Tunku Teh's father is the son of Tunku Temenggong of Kedah, Tunku Muhammad Jiwa Ibni Sultan Abdul Hamid and her mother Tengku Embon Suria, is the daughter of Tengku Sri Pekerma DiRaja of Kelantan, Tengku Abdul Majid Ibni Tengku Besar Tuan Yusof.[11] They have two sons, Tunku Mahmood Iskandar, whom Tunku Majid named after his father, Sultan Mahmud Iskandar and second son, Tunku Abdul Mateen Idris Ismail Ibrahim Iskandar, and a daughter named Tunku Aisha Menjalara Iskandar.[12]

Children and their date of birth
  • Yang Mulia Tunku Mahmood Iskandar (born on (2006-11-03)3 November 2006) (Age 14 years, 2 months and 30 days) at Johor Bahru, Johor)
  • Yang Mulia Tunku Aisha Menjalara Iskandar (born on (2009-03-21)21 March 2009) (Age 11 years, 10 months and 12 days) at Johor Bahru, Johor)
  • Yang Mulia Tunku Abdul Mateen Idris Ismail Ibrahim Iskandar (born on (2015-11-13)13 November 2015) (Age 5 years, 2 months and 20 days) at Johor Bahru, Johor)

Societal contributions

Tunku Majid held the honorary positions of President of the Malaysian Golf Association[13] and Deputy President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.[14] In 2008, he proposed the formation of the ASEAN Golf Foundation. Presidents of the golf clubs of the ASEAN countries will take turns to serve as its secretary general.[15] In addition, he was also noted for his contributions to the development of the Malaysian hockey and golf teams.[8][16][17] In late 2008, an internal crisis in the administration of these sports associations resulted in Tunku Majid being relieved of his positions.[18]

Controversies

Gomez Incident
Main article: 1993 amendments to the Constitution of Malaysia

In 1992 Tunku Majid was alleged to have assaulted a hockey coach, which culminated in the Malaysia nobility losing immunity from legal prosecution. On 10 July 1992, Tunku Majid was alleged to have assaulted Jaafar Vello (also known as Jaafar Selvaraj), the coach of Perak hockey club, after Perak won the match against Tunku Majid's team.[19][20] Jaafar lodged a police report. Following press reports on the incident,[21] and the Malaysian Hockey Federation banned Tunku Majid from participating in national hockey tournaments for five years.[22]

Sultan Iskandar, apparently infuriated by the decision, issued an edict to pressure the Johor education department to enforce a boycott of Johor hockey teams participation in national hockey tournaments. Hockey coaches criticised his decision. Sultan Iskandar, taking Gomez' remarks in offence,[23] ordered Gomez to meet him in November 1992 at Istana Bukit Serene, where he reprimanded and assaulted Gomez. The incident sparked off a standoff between the Malaysian government and members of the royalty after the government proposed changes to review the status of the legal immunity of the rulers.[24]

Tunku Majid went on trial for voluntarily causing hurt, and pleaded not guilty.[25] Court sessions into January 1993 convicted him of deliberately causing hurt and hence made him liable to a jail term and/or a fine, though neither penalties were applied[26] following an official pardon issued by his father.[27]

MGA crisis

In November 2008, accusations by the Malaysian Golf Association was brought by its members against Tunku Majid for excessive and unethical use of the association's funds. A committee member, Abdul Majid Md Yusoff–an elected committee member who issued the notice of the EGM, in which Tunku Majid responded strongly to his claims.[28] Shortly before an Extraordinary General Meeting was held to decide the fate of Tunku Majid, Tunku Majid said that it was unconstitutional to the vires of the rules of the MGA and pledged to continue serving the association until his term expires the following year, but also expressing that he would not seek re-election to be its association's president. He expressed his decision to boycott the meeting,[29] after seeking legal advice from a lawyer.[30]

The delegates voted in favour of impeaching Tunku Majid as his president. A vote of no confidence against Tunku Majid as President was taken–with 129 delegates voting in favour of his impeachment and 33 against.[31] However, questions were about the technical ambiguity questioned the legitimacy of the meeting, whose views were also supported by former President Thomas Lee and vice-President Zain Yusof.[32] Following the delegation, Tunku Majid expressed that he still believed that he was the President of the MGA. Members of the MGA rebutted by citing provisions within its constitution, and refuted Tunku Majid's claims that the EGM was unconstitutional.[33]

In a surprise move, delegates swiftly elected MGA's vice President Robin Loh in Tunku Majid's place, arguing that its legitimacy as provided by the association's constitution.[34]

Honours of Tunku Abdul Majid
See also: List of honours of the Johor Royal Family by country

He was awarded :

Johor Honours

Honours of Tunku Teh Mazni
See also: List of honours of the Johor Royal Family by country

She was awarded :

Johor Honours

Ancestry

Notes
  1. Dewan Undangan Negeri Kemelah, Diari Arkib, Johor Darul Takzim eGov Portal, January 2006
  2. Johore and the Origins of British Control, 1895-1914, Nesalamar Nadarajah, pg 44
  3. Tunku Azizah is one tough princess Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, KEE HUA CHEE, Mac 19, 2005, The Star (Malaysia)
  4. Ucapan Majlis Perasmian Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Official Mobile Web of the Prime Ministers Office of Malaysia, Mobile Web PMO
  5. Tengku is spelled as Tunku in Johor. K.N. Nadarajah, pg 50
  6. Istiadat Persandingan Tunku Bendahara Johor Sabtu, 11 January 2006, Bernama
  7. 2008 in Review Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine New Straits Times, 5 December 2008, p9
  8. Tunku Majid to NSC: Let us work hand in hand, 22 September 2008, The Star (Malaysia).
  9. Aliran Monthly, Aliran Kesedaran Negaran, 1992, pg 3
  10. Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Rajendran, pg 24
  11. Menanti saat bahagia, 11/01/2006, Utusan Malaysia
  12. Q&A with HRH Tunku Abdul Majid, President of the Malaysian Golf Association Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Sunday, 25 May 2008, Malaysian Golf Association
  13. Things not that rosy at all, Joe Carlos, 8 July 2007, The Star (Malaysia)
  14. Tunku Majid: Time to bring in the youngsters, S. Ramaguru, 17 December 2006, The Star (Malaysia)
  15. Taking Asean forward, MALKEET KAUR, 9 November 2008, The Star (Malaysia)
  16. Tunku Majid: Don’t waste money, use it to develop local talents, LIM TEIK HUAT, 16 May 2007, The Star (Malaysia)
  17. Tunku Majid donates RM27,500 for hockey, RIZAL ABDULLAH, 22 June 2006, The Star (Malaysia)
  18. The enemy within, ALUOSIES FRANCIS, 20 November 2008, The Malay Mail
  19. Siapa kebal, Mahathir atau raja-raja Melayu?, Ismail, pg 12
  20. Mahathir di sebalik tabir, Maidin, pg 96
  21. Mahathir di sebalik tabir, Maidin, pg 100
  22. Mahathir di sebalik tabir, Maidin, pg 101
  23. Islam Embedded: The Historical Development of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS, Noor, pg 494-6
  24. Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition, Kershaw, pg 110-1
  25. Ruler's son pleads not guilty to causing hurt, allowed bail of $2,000, New Straits Times, Dec. 16, 1992, at 1, 2.
  26. The Other Side of Mahathir, Maidin, Hulaimi, pg 88
  27. Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore Handbook, 1995, Betty Waterton, Joshua Eliot, Passport Books, Jane Bickersteth, Jonathan Miller, Georgina Matthews, Sebastian Ballard, pg 74
  28. Tunku defends himself, Aluosies Francis, 24 November 2008, The Malay Mail
  29. MGA stand-off, Aluosies Francis, 10 December 2008, The Malay Mail
  30. Golf: MGA refutes Tunku Majid's claim, 2008/12/15, New Straits Times
  31. Exco: No, you’re not Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Haresh Deol, 10 December 2008, The Malay Mail
  32. Stop hitting out of bounds Archived 2009-01-23 at the Wayback Machine, 10 December 2008, The Malay Mail
  33. MGA refutes Tunku Majid’s claim New Straits Times, 15 December 2008
  34. MGA: Loh’s election as new president is constitutional Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine, 16 December 2008, New Sabah Times

References
  • Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore Handbook, 1995, Betty Waterton, Joshua Eliot, Passport Books, Jane Bickersteth, Jonathan Miller, Georgina Matthews, Sebastian Ballard, published by McGraw-Hill Trade, 1995, ISBN 0-8442-8976-0
  • Islam Embedded: The Historical Development of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party PAS, 1951–2003, Farish Ahmad Noor, published by Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, 2004
  • Johore and the Origins of British Control, 1895-1914, Nesalamar Nadarajah, published by Arenabuku, 2000, ISBN 967-970-318-5
  • Mahathir di Sebalik Tabir, Zainuddin Maidin, published by Utusan Publications, 1994
  • Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, by M. Rajendran, published by IBS Buku, 2003, ISBN 967-950-288-0
  • Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition, Roger Kershaw, published by Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0-415-18531-9
  • Siapa Kebal, Mahathir atau Raja-Raja Melayu?, Yahaya Ismail, published by Dinamika Kreatif, 1993
  • Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen His Story, K.N. Nadarajah, published by Pelanduk Publications, 2000, ISBN 967-978-709-5
  • The Other Side of Mahathir, Zainudin Maidin, A. Hulaimi, published by Utusan Publications & Distributors, 1994
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