Two "Majesties"

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28370, 31 August 1957, Page 12

Two " Majesties"

The position of the Malayan rulers is responsible for the novel ** headship ” devised for* the new Federation of Malaya which, the . “ Economist ” has observed, not only changes Malaya, but also the Commonwealth. For the new State, while recognising the Queen as head of the Commonwealth, is neither a crowned Commonwealth country like Ghana, nor i yet a republic—even an Islamic i republic—like Pakistan; it is an elective monarchy. The sovereignty of the federation will be vested in a Supreme Ruler, elected for five years by a consistory of all the rulers or sultans. The two British settlements of Penang and Malacca will be handed over to the federation, but will retain their territorial identity. It will be one of the functions of the new ruler to appoint governors for the settlements, and these governors will be electors at every election of a new Supreme Ruler. The Malays have now decided (it was not in the constitution

arranged with the British Gov- i ernment) that the new Supreme Ruler will be , styled His Majesty, a style which will be used on all State and legal documents. There are thus now two Majesties within the Com i monweaith, as well as two| Presidents with the style of l Excellency. The “ Economist ” observes that the concept ofj “head of the Commonwealth”; has proved elastic enough to< permit another royal sovereig?j i to accept the Queen’s special role while not extending tech- i nical “ allegiance ” or acknowledging paramountcy (as does Queen Salote of Tonga, for example). Tengku Sir Abdul Rahman, at present the Supreme Ruler of Negri Sembilan, has been elected by his fellow 'rulers as the first Supreme Ruler of the Federation of Malaya. No doubt it will be confusing to people outside Malaya that Tengku Sir Abdul Rahman, the Supreme Ruler, will have as his Prime Minister Tengku Abdul Rahman, a brother of the Sultan of Kedah. 1