By Siti Salwa Shaari
PEKAN — Strong discipline and attention to detail are among the many positive attributes of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah that have inspired others, especially those around him, in discharging their duties, according to his special aide, Datuk Abd Rahman Endut.
He said the military training which focused on discipline the Sultan had during his stint at the the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 1978 had also made him very meticulous.
Sharing his experience with Bernama, Abd Rahman, 65, said the Sultan’s meticulousness in discharging his duties had indirectly ‘trained’ the palace staff to perform their duties in a proper and orderly manner.
“If he is reading a draft of a letter or minutes of a meeting, every word will be scrutinised.
“And if he spotted a mistake, Sultan Abdullah will instruct that the letter be rewritten…he will not get angry, just that he wanted the staff to do his job properly,” he said.
On Jan 31, Sultan Abdullah, who was inaugurated as the sixth Sultan of Pahang on Jan 15, will be installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Abd Rahman said he believed that the military training and education had also instilled in the Sultan the utmost respect for the national flag – the Jalur Gemilang.
“There was a time during a visit to Teluk Chempedak, Kuantan, the Sultan saw torn flags being flown and immediately instructed to have them replaced,” he said.
Similarly, during a military parade, Sultan Abdullah would closely observe each officer and would admonish those who did not polish their shoes.
It was this attention for detail that had also resulted in the body of a Pekan religious school student being found during a fire at the premises in the 1980s, he said.
“His Majesty was informed of the incident at 3 am, after the fire-fighting operation to quell the fire was over. He decided to go to the scene and was informed by the firefighters that there was no casualty.
“He remained silent for a moment and then asked that the number of students be recounted…and true enough, they were short of one. He then joined the firefighters to look for the missing student in the burnt school building.
“And it was the Sultan who found the charred body of the student under the bed in the corner of the room. I was right behind him. If he didn’t ask for that recount, the victim would have been found much later,” said Abd Rahman.
He added that Sultan Abdullah also liked to read in his spare time.
There was a wide genre of works that he likes, including biographies of individuals from previous eras, and books on different laws, religions and the military, said Abd Rahman.
“He also reads the Quran whenever he has the chance, even while being driven to events.
“Sultan Abdullah also makes it a routine to read the Quran with the congregation at the Masjid Al Imam Ash Shafie here after the Subuh prayer,” he said.
Abd Rahman added that the Sultan did not like to waste or be given special treatment or have a venue be improved or renovated just because he was to be present for an event there.
“What is more important to him is the cleanliness. He always says that there is no need for a new toilet just because he coming to a place to grace an event. It is okay if the toilet is old as long as it is clean and usable.
“Similarly, if he goes to a cendol shop, he is okay with using the same bowl as other customers as long as it is clean,” said Abd Rahman.
— BERNAMA
