Perak’s Raja Izzuddin stripped of Raja Kechil Besar title

According to theStar Online, Raja Izzuddin has been removed as the Raja Kechil Besar last week.

"Raja Izzuddin Iskandar Shah Sultan Idris Shah has been stripped of his title of Raja Kechil Besar Perak.

Perak Dewan Negara secretary Datuk Ayop Hashim made the announcement in a press statement yesterday. Ayop said Raja Izzuddin Iskandar Shah, 53, who is the third in line to the Perak throne [after the Raja Muda and Raja Di Hilir], had been stripped of the title because he had been declared a bankrupt. He added that the Perak Dewan Negara had agreed with the decision when it sat on Nov 25. “The decision was gazetted on Thursday,” he said."

Read the full article here.

Maybe now would be a good time to go into the Perak sultanate's succession system for the throne. Here are some excerpts from the official website of the Office of the DYMM Sultan Perak.

"At present, the Sovereign shall be chosen and appointed by the Royal Council (Dewan Negara)... the Sovereign shall be a descendent acknowledged to be legitimately and lawfully begotten of the body, flesh and blood of the Eighteenth Sultan who shall be a son, grandson, great grandson and so on of the male line, first one generation after another until the last...

Once a Sovereign is appointed and installed, two Presumptive Heirs to the Throne are appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Council. The two titles bestowed upon the Presumptive Heirs to the Throne are Raja Muda and Raja Di Hilir... The choice and appointed of the Presumptive Heirs to the Throne are subject to conditions similar to those of a Sovereign... before they are appointed as Presumptive Heir they would normally have occupied the positions of the Titled Rajas first. The titles given to the Titled Rajas (Raja-Raja Bergelar) are Raja Kechil Besar, Raja Kechil Sulong, Raja Kechil Tengah and Raja Kechil Bongsu.

The system works such that on the demise of the Sovereign the Raja Muda would succeed the throne and the Raja Muda would be succeeded by the Raja Di Hilir whose place would be filled by the Titled Raja, the Raja Kecil Besar, and so on until finally the title of Raja Kechil Bongsu would fall vacant. Normally the vacant title of Raja Kechil Bongsu would be filled by the eldest son the the newly appointed Sovereign.

However, the Constitution provides that in choosing the Heir, first consideration is given to the most senior Heir in order of status before the Titled Rajas could be considered and the choice among the Titled Rajas need not necessarily be in order of seniority of the their title."

(Ref:http://www.perak.gov.my/sultan/english/raja.htm)

Currently, the succession hierarchy is as follows:
(ref: http://www.perak.gov.my/sultan/english/senarai_raja.htm)

From the 3 family lines descending from the 3 sons of the 18th Sultan (which gave birth to this unique system in the first place), the succession hierarchy now has 3 representatives from the line of the current sultan (Nos 1, 2 and 6).

And after the vacation of Raja Izzuddin as the Raja Kechil Besar, the other 2 families have one rep each (Nos 3 and 5).

The main task now facing the Royal Council will be naming the new Raja Kechil Besar (No. 4) and perhaps also a new Raja Kechil Bongsu (No. 7) which has been vacant for some time.