Ibrahim Ismail of Johor

Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar ( Jawi: ; born 22 November 1958) is the 25th Sultan of Johor and the 5th Sultan of modern Johor, since January 2010. He is the son of Sultan Iskandar.
A motorcycle enthusiast, Sultan Ibrahim is the founder of the annual motorcycling tour event, Kembara Mahkota Johor.

Biography

Early life

Tunku Ibrahim Ismail was born on 22 November 1958 in Sultan Aminah Hospital, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaya during the reign of his great grandfather, Sultan Ibrahim. He was the eldest son of Sultan Iskandar by his first wife Josephine Ruby Trevorrow (2 December 1935 – 1 June 2018), an English lady from Torquay, whom Sultan Iskandar (then Tunku Mahmood) met while he was studying in England. Trevorrow, a proprietor by profession, took on the name of "Kalsom binti Abdullah" for a time following her marriage to Tunku Iskandar.Morais (1967), pg 198 His mother has since remarried and lived in England.

His great-grandfather, Sultan Ibrahim died in London on 8 May 1959, thus, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail's grandfather, Ismail of Johor succeeded him as Sultan of Johor. Ibrahim Ismail moved up to second in line to the throne, after his father.

The late Sultan Iskandar sent him to complete his secondary education at Trinity Grammar School in Sydney, Australia from 1968 until 1970. After finishing his high school, he was sent to Pusat Latihan Tentera Darat (PULADA) in Kota Tinggi for basic military training. He also received military training in the US–at Fort Benning, Georgia and later at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.Karim, Tate (1989), pp. 572

Tunku Ibrahim was appointed as the Tunku Mahkota of Johor on 3 July 1981, and had been primarily residing at Istana Pasir Pelangi since then. Tunku Ibrahim was the regent of Johor between 26 April 1984 and 25 April 1989 when his father served his term as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. In recent years, Tunku Ibrahim gradually took over some of the state duties and functions from his aging father;Thanam Visvanathan, ''Ruler with deep concern for people–Sultan Iskandar revered as protective guardian and helpful to all his subjects'', pg 1, 8 April 2001, ''New Sunday Times'' ''Special'' (Sultan of Johor's Birthday) these included the 211th Conference of Rulers, whereby Tunku Ibrahim and Tengku Abdullah, the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang represented their fathers in the meetings, among some other state functions.

Shortly before Filipino politician Benigno Aquino's assassination in August 1983, Tunku Ibrahim met Aquino upon his arrival in Singapore and later brought him to meet other Malaysian leaders across the Causeway. Once in Johor, Aquino met Ibrahim's father, Sultan Iskandar, who was a close friend of Aquino's.

Sultan of Johor

A few hours before his father's death on 22 January 2010, Tunku Ibrahim was appointed as the Regent of Johor, following medical reports that suggested of Sultan Iskandar's impending demise. Sultan Iskandar died on the same night, and Tunku Ibrahim was installed as the Sultan of Johor the following morning. The Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Johor, Abdul Ghani Othman cited that Sultan Ibrahim and immediate members of the royal family will undertake a mourning period of 40 days. During the mourning season, Sultan Ibrahim made his inaugural presence at the Conference of Rulers in February 2010 as the Sultan of Johor.

On 30 June 2011, Sultan Ibrahim drove the last train from Tanjong Pagar railway station, having received tuition from Chief Locomotive Inspector Hasnol Azahari Aman of Keretapi Tanah Melayu to enable him to do this. He stated that he wished to do this as his grandfather, Ismail of Johor had opened the causeway between Singapore and Malaya in 1923, and that it was appropriate that he should drive the last train out of the station.

He also declared Muar as Johor's new royal capital, replacing Johor Bahru on 5 February 2012. This coincided with the Maulidur Rasul celebrations.

Sultan Ibrahim became the first Johor Ruler to celebrate his birthday celebration in Muar on 22 November 2012. He picks the town because it is "rich in history and tradition besides being peaceful, beautiful and progressive". He wanted the state government to gazette all the old buildings in the town as a state heritage. He also wants the local authorities to preserve the cleanliness of Sungai Muar which could be done by relocating the bus and taxi terminals elsewhere.

He was crowned as the Sultan of Johor on 23 March 2015. The last coronation was that of his grandfather Sultan Ismail on 10 February 1960. From 2015 onwards, 23 March is made an annual state public holiday as the Sultan's official birthday, replacing the public holiday on 22 November, the Sultan's actual birthday.

He is noted for his religious moderation and has condemned the creeping Arabisation of Malaysian Muslim culture. Despite being the only Sultan in Malaysia without tertiary (postsecondary) education, he has promoted quality education for Johor.

Marriage and issue

Sultan Ibrahim married Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofia, daughter of Sultan Idris Shah II of Perak, in 1982. They have six children:

* Tunku Ismail Idris Abdul Majid Abu Bakar (born 30 June 1984). He was appointed the Deputy Crown Prince in April 2006 by Sultan Iskandar, and became the Crown Prince upon Sultan Ibrahim's accession.
*Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah (born 8 April 1986) She was awarded the title Tun by Sultan Ibrahim in 2012. She married Dato' Dennis Muhammad Abdullah ''né'' Dennis Verbaas, a former semi-professional footballer from the Netherlands, on 14 August 2017.
*Tunku Idris Iskandar (born 25 December 1987) the Tunku Temenggong of Johor. He was appointed as the Regent of Johor during the absence of his father and the Tunku Mahkota on 29 September 2012.
*Almarhum (Late) Tunku Abdul Jalil (born 5 Jul 1990, died 5 Dec 2015) the Tunku Laksamana of Johor
*Tunku Abdul Rahman (born 5 February 1993)Impian puteri raja
, AZIMI MUSTAPHA, Rencana Utama, 13 November 2008, KOSMO! the Tunku Panglima of Johor
*Tunku Abu Bakar (born 30 May 2001) the Tunku Putera of Johor

Decrees

Sultan Ibrahim has issued a few decrees to the state to date.

Public weekend from Saturday/Sunday to Friday/Saturday

Johor, as with the former standalone British protectorates of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, used to rest on Fridays and Saturdays, in contrast with the former Federated Malay States as well as Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak and the Federal Territory which observe their weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. Johor, together with Perlis, moved their weekend to Saturday and Sunday on 1 January 1994 to synchronise with Singapore next door as well as with Kuala Lumpur, as Johor by then was a quickly industrialising state.

However, on 22 November 2013, on Sultan Ibrahim's birthday celebrations, he decreed that Johor will move back its weekend to Friday and Saturday, to enable Muslims in the state to attend their Friday prayers, effective 1 January 2014. This move was not without certain controversy, as this has caused disruptions, particularly for private businesses dealing with Singapore. The private sector nevertheless continues to rest on Saturdays and Sundays.

District name changes

In August 2015, Sultan Ibrahim decreed that the name of Kulaijaya district be reverted to its former name of ''Kulai''. He also decreed that Nusajaya be renamed to ''Iskandar Puteri'', as well as renaming Ledang District to Tangkak District.

Ban on vape

Sultan Ibrahim issued a decree banning vape in Johor effective 1 January 2016. The purposes of the ban is for the sake of the health of the Johor state residents. Kelantan and Terengganu followed soon after.

Ban on oversized signboards

In January 2016, Sultan Ibrahim also decreed that signboards for businesses must not exceed 6.1 m × 1.2 m, so as to prevent any dangers to the public as well as to reduce unsightly signboards which mar the city beauty.

Controversies

Allegations of criminal misconduct

Occasional reports of alleged criminal misconduct from the 1980s onwards marred Tunku Ibrahim's reputation somewhat, albeit to a much lesser extent than his father, Sultan Iskandar, whose past heinous crimes had received considerable attention from mainstream media. In the 1980s, he was convicted of shooting dead a man in a nightclub during a feud, but was quickly pardoned.

In late 1992 to early 1993, Tunku Ibrahim also experienced fallouts of the Gomez Incident–in which his father and younger brother, Tunku Majid

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