Sultanah Maliha binti Almarhum Tengku Ariff (née Tengku Maliha binti Almarhum Tengku Ariff, born 13 April 1949) is wife of
Sallehuddin of Kedah and the current
Sultanah of
Malaysian State of
Kedah replacing her sister-in-law,
Sultanah Haminah Hamidun. She proclaimed as the
Sultanah of Kedah
Sultanah of Kedah is the title given to the Queen consort, consorts of the incumbent Sultan of Kedah, Sultan of the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian State of Kedah. The title was introduced by Badlishah of Kedah, Sultan Ba ...
on 30 April 2018 in a royal ceremony after her husband was made
Sultan of Kedah
The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Uni ...
. She is the mother to
Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah and
Tunku Shazuddin Ariff.
Biography
Born as Tengku Maliha, she is the third children of seven siblings to ''Tengku Sri Jaya Raja'' Tengku Ariff bin Tengku Long Abdul Rahman and ''Cik Puan Sri Jaya Raja'' Datin Kitty Lind. She was a member of
Kelantanese Royal Family with
Sultan Yahya Petra as her grand uncle.
She obtained her early education at St. Mary Primary School,
Kuala Lumpur and then at Assunta Satu Primary School before she went to Assunta Secondary School,
Petaling Jaya. At that time, her father was a pilot in
KLM which is a flag carrier airline company of
the Netherlands. In 1960, she with her family returned to
Kota Bharu,
Kelantan after her father served as the aide-de-camp to
Almarhum Sultan Yahya Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim, the then
Sultan of Kelantan.
After returned to Kota Bharu, she continued her study at Raja Perempuan Zainab (I) Secondary School and she was very active in her school sport activities especially in
hockey. She also took part in school debate club and once presenting her school in a state's English debate competition.
Interest
Sultanah Maliha cares and is involved in the education development of the people especially in Kedah and is keen the development of the English Language. As such, she was appointed as the royal patron of ''English Literacy and Computer Programme'' (COMEL), managed by State Government Education Department and
National University of Malaysia. Sultanah Maliha is also a
cat lover and passionate in cooking, especially
Malaysian East Coast cuisines.
Raja Puan Muda Kedah
She proclaimed as the Raja Puan Muda Kedah (equivalent to Crown Princess) replaced Tengku Raudzah after her husband was proclaimed as DYTM Raja Muda Kedah (Crown Prince of Kedah) on 15 December 2016. Her husband replaced
Tunku Abdul Malik, who died of natural causes on 29 November 2015 at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar.
Sultanah of Kedah
Maliha is made the Sultanah of Kedah after her husband proclaimed as the new
Sultan of Kedah
The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Uni ...
following the death of her brother-in-law,
Sultan Abdul Halim
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
in September 2017. Her official proclamation as Sultanah held on 30 April 2018 with full of royal ceremony at
Anak Bukit Palace,
Alor Setar
Alor Setar ( Jawi: الور ستار, Kedahan: ''Loqstaq'') is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia ...
. The ceremony was attended by members of Kedah Royal Family, Kedahan statesmen, the then
Chief Minister of Kedah and wife, some members of
Kedah State Executive Council The Kedah State Executive Council is the executive branch of the State Government of Kedah, Malaysia. The Council is composed of the Menteri Besar, the Leader of the council, appointed by the Sultan on the basis that he/she commands the majority ...
with their spouses. The ceremony began at 11 morning upon the arrival of Sultan Sallehuddin accompanied by Sultanah Maliha to the throne hall(known as the ''Bailarong Seri''). After the arrival, the sultanah proclamation letter read by the Chief Minister of Kedah,
Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah
Ahmad Bashah bin Md Hanipah is a Malaysian politician. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party in Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He was the Menteri Besar of Kedah from 4 February 2016 to 10 May 2018. ...
in front of the Sultan following by Sultanah Maliha stood and kissed her husband's hand as symbol of the ''junjung duli'' ceremony. Then, the ceremony continued by 21 shots of canon accompanied by royal ''nobat(traditional music)''. The ceremony end with the Sultan and Sultanah along with royal family members left the throne hall.
Like many spouses of heads of state, as the Sultanah of Kedah, she has no stipulated role or duties in the Kedah State Constitution. However, she accompanies the Sultan of kedah to official functions and state visits, as well as hosting visiting heads of state and their spouses. For example, she accompanied her husband to the
Installation of the 16th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Ceremony at the
National Palace on 30 July 2019.
Honours
Awards and Recognitions
*
Most Illustrious Royal Family Order of Kedah (DK, 21.1.2018)
* Order of Loyalty to Sultan Sallehuddin (SSSK, 30.4.2018) with title ''Dato' Seri Diraja''
* Grand Commander of the Illustrious
Order of Loyalty to Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah
The Illustrious Order of Loyalty to Sultan 'Abdu'l Halim Mu'azzam Shah (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Yang Mulia Sri Setia Sultan 'Abdu'l Halim Mu'azzam Shah'') is an honorific order of the Kedah Sultanate, Sultanate of Kedah
History
It was founded b ...
(SHMS, 15.1.2017) with title ''Dato' Seri Diraja''
* Knight Grand Companion of the
Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah (SSDK, 12.12.2011) with title ''Dato' Seri''
* Knight Companion of the
Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah (DSDK, 2001) with title ''Dato
* Companion of the
Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah (SDK)
* Sultan Abdul Halim Shah Silver Jubilee Medal (1983)
* Sultan Abdul halim Shah Golden Jubilee Medal (2008)
Places named after her
* Sultanah Maliha Hospital,
Langkawi,
Kedah
Issue
Ancestry
See also
*
Sultanate of Kedah
The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Uni ...
*
List of Sultanahs of Kedah
*
Chief Ministers of Kedah
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the b ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maliha, Sultanah
1949 births
Living people
Kedah royal consorts