Kedah as one of the 14 states in Malaysia practices a system of Parliamentary Democracy led by a Constitutional Monarch, His Highness (HH) the Sultan, is also the Head of State. The Sultan is the centre and symbol of loyalty for the multiracial subjects of the state & a source for the people of the state. Kedah Sultanate is presently one of the longest line of monarchy in the world. The present Head of State, HH Sultan Sallehuddin Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badishah, is the 29th Sultan of Kedah.
Historically, the present Kedah Sultanate began as an Hindu Kingdom in 630 CE and converted to Islam in either 1136 CE (according to the Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa) or 1474 CE (according to the Malay Annals). Kedah has been willing to be subservient to either the Siamese Kingdom to the north or the British East India Company when it wanted the Penang Island. The ruling household enjoyed protection of a more powerful state at almost all its existence, an unbroken line of sultanate over 888 years by a single royal family.
I attended the Royal Banquet in conjunction with the 82nd Birthday of HH Sultan Sallehuddin held at M. Resort & Hotel, Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur hosted by the Council of Dato' Kedah State (comprising of 1080 members who've been bestowed the Dato' title) led by President & Crown Prince of Kedah, HH Tunku Shazuddin Ariff.
Among the interesting and challenging life of HH Sultan Sallehuddin included military career started when HH underwent cadet training at the famous Indian Military Academy in Dehradun in 1962-1963. On 12 February 1964, HH was commissioned as a Lieutenant and was attached with the 2nd Battalion of Royal Malay Regiment in Pengkalan Chepa. During the military service, HH had been involved in several security operations at the border areas with Thailand, 2nd Malaysian Emergency & Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.
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