The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal (, Jawi: ) is the government official in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

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

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

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

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...

(King of Malaysia) and the hereditary rulers of the

states of Malaysia Malaysia is a federation of thirteen federated state, states and three federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territories, which form the primary administrative division, administrative divisions of the country. Eleven states and two territ ...

. 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 (), which came into force in 1957 as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya and was amended in 1963 to form the Constitution of Malaysia, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 art ...

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

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

during the month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, and the dates of the

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

religious holidays, Aidilfitri 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 head of government, Heads of government in Malaysia's many states of Malaysia, states take on various titles. Seven out of nine in the Peninsular Malaysia, Peninsular who each have Monarchies of Malaysia, historical monarchs are known as the Men ...

among the states in the

Federation of Malaya Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It succeeded the Malayan Union and, before that, British Malaya. It comprised eleven states – nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settleme ...

. This changed after independence in 1957, when all the rulers became constitutional monarchs 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 In Malaysia, the Governor, officially Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Jawi script, Jawi: , ) is a constitutional title given to the head of state in States and federal territories of Malaysia, states without a ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and S ...

(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 Monarchies of Malaysia 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