Sultan Ibrahim Ismail was born on 22 November 1958 as the eldest son of
Sultan Iskandar by his first wife Josephine Ruby Trevorrow, of
English ethnicity from
Torquay,
[3][4] whom Sultan Iskandar (then Tunku Mahmud) met while he was studying in
England.
[5][6]
Trevorrow, a proprietor by profession, took on the name of "Kalsom
binti Abdullah" for a time following her marriage to Tunku Iskandar.
[1] His mother has since remarried and lives in
England.
[7]
Tunku Ibrahim was born at
Sultanah Aminah Hospital in
Johor Bahru. The late
Sultan Iskandar sent him to study at
Trinity Grammar School in
Sydney,
Australia from 1968 until 1970. After finishing his studies, he was sent to Pusat Latihan Tentera Darat (PULADA) in
Kota Tinggi for basic military training. He also received military training in the US–at
Fort Benning,
Georgia and later at
Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
[8]
Tunku Ibrahim Ismail was appointed as the Tunku Mahkota of Johor on 4 July 1981,
[8] and had been primarily residing at
Istana Pasir Pelangi since then.
[9][10] Tunku Ibrahim was the regent of Johor between 26 April 1984 and 25 April 1989 when his father served his term as the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
[8] In recent years, Tunku Ibrahim gradually took over some of the state duties and functions from his aging father;
[11] these included the 211th Conference of Rulers, whereby Tunku Ibrahim and
Tengku Abdullah, the Tengku Mahkota of
Pahang represented their fathers in the meetings,
[12] among some other state functions.
[13]
Sultan of Johor
A few hours before his father's demise on 22 January 2010, Tunku
Ibrahim was appointed as the Regent of Johor, following medical reports
that suggested of Sultan Iskandar's pending demise.
[14] Sultan Iskandar died on the same night, and Tunku Ibrahim was installed as the Sultan of Johor the following morning.
[15] The Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Johor,
Abdul Ghani Othman cited that Sultan Ibrahim and immediate members of the royal family will undertake a mourning period of 40 days.
[16]
During the mourning season, Sultan Ibrahim made his inaugural presence
at the Conference of Rulers in February 2010 as the Sultan of Johor.
[17]
On 30 June 2011, Sultan Ibrahim drove the last train from
Tanjong Pagar railway station, having received tuition from Chief Locomotive Inspector Hasnol Azahari Aman of
Keretapi Tanah Melayu to enable him to do this. He stated that he wished to do this as his grandfather,
Ismail of Johor
had opened the causeway between Singapore and Malaya in 1923, and that
it was appropriate that he should drive the last train out of the
station.
[18]
He also declares
Muar,
the town which lies in the northwesternmost border of Johor as the new
royal capital of Johor on 5 February 2012, coinciding with the
Maulidur Rasul celebrations.
Sultan Ibrahim became the first Johor Ruler to celebrate his birthday
celebration in Muar on 22 November 2012 as it is his beloved town. He
picks the town because it is "rich in history and tradition besides
being peaceful, beautiful and progressive". He wanted the state
government to gazette all the old buildings in the town as a state
heritage. He also wants the local authorities to preserve the cleaniness
of
Sungai Muar which could be done by relocating the bus and taxi terminals elsewhere.
[19]
He was crowned as the Sultan of Johor on 23 March 2015.
[20] The last coronation was that of his grandfather
Sultan Ismail on 10 February 1960.
[21]
From 2015 onwards, 23 March is made an annual state public holiday as
the Sultan's official birthday, replacing the public holiday on 22
November, the Sultan's actual birthday.
[22]
