The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal ( ms, Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja, Jawi: ڤنڽيمڤن موهور بسر راج٢) is the government official in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

charged with custody and use of the Rulers' Seal of Malaysia on behalf of the

Conference of Rulers The Conference of Rulers (also Council of Rulers or Durbar, ms, Majlis Raja-Raja; Jawi: ) in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors or '' Yang di-Pertua Negeri'' of the other four states. It w ...

. The Rulers' Seal is the symbol of the traditional authority of the royal institutions in Malaysia, namely the

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

(Paramount Ruler) and the hereditary rulers of the

states of Malaysia The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (''Negeri'') and 3 federal territories (''Wilayah Persekutuan''). States and federal territories Ele ...

. The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal is the secretary to the Conference of Rulers and convenes the Conference three times a year, or at the request of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He is appointed by the Conference as specified in the

Constitution of Malaysia The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...

. His most publicly visible role is to announce the beginning of

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

during the month of

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, and the dates of the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

religious holidays,

Aidilfitri , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , d ...

and Aidiladha, in Malaysia.

History

The office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal was established in preparation for the first meeting of the

on February 18, 1948. Prior to independence, the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal was a senior government position, equal in stature to the most senior

Menteri Besar In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar ( Jawi:منتري بسر; literally ''First Minister''), colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For four states without a monarch, the t ...

among the states in the

Federation of Malaya The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Straits Settlements, Penang and Malacca)''See' ...

. This changed after independence in 1957, when all the rulers became

constitutional monarchs A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

under the federal and state constitutions.

Role

The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal's primary administrative responsibility is to convene the Conference of Rulers by serving notices to the nine hereditary rulers and four non-hereditary Yang di-Pertua Negeri (governors). His office is responsible for arranging the transportation of the rulers and governors from their respective states to the meeting venue. During special meetings of the Conference to elect a new

, he is responsible for distributing and then counting the ballot papers, which are kept secret.Election Of The Yang di-Pertuan Agong And Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Malaysian Monarchy. Accessed June 8, 2010 The second highest position in the Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal is the Assistant Secretary of the Conference of Rulers, who assists in managing the Conference's meetings and elections.

List of Keepers of the Rulers' Seal

Listed below are Keepers of the Rulers' Seal from 1948 to present:
(in Malay). Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. Accessed June 8, 2010

References

External links

Pejabat Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja
(Office of the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal) {{authority control Federal ministries, departments and agencies of Malaysia Malaysian monarchy Malaysian constitutional law 1948 establishments in Malaya Government agencies established in 1948

History

Role

List of Keepers of the Rulers' Seal

See also

References

External links