Discovery Channel Producing Documentary On M'sian King's Installation

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil and Siti Fatimah Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 (Bernama) -- Discovery Channel, an American satellite and cable specialty channel, is collaborating with Tourism Malaysia to produce a documentary on the installation of Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah as Malaysia's 14th King. Acting Tourism Malaysia director-general Azizan Noordin said the documentary which would be produced by Malaysian David Moggie, would focus on Malaysia's Constitutional Monarchy. They will also focus on the uniqueness of the appointment of Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) as the Head of State, based on the rotation system among the nine Sultans which began when Malaysia achieved independence in 1957, he told Bernama here Wednesday. This is the second time Discovery Channel is producing a documentary on Malaysia's Royalty, the first being in 2010 when Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir was installed Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, he said. Azizan said that more than 460 million viewers worldwide viewed the documentary the first time it was aired. He said that the documentary, 'Revealed: Malaysia's Royal Rites Negeri Sembilan' focused mainly on the uniqueness of 'adat pepatih' (matrilineal customary law) in Negeri Sembilan. However, this time, the documentary on the installation of the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong will cover the overall aspect of the Malaysian monarchy institution. It will also look into the uniqueness of 'salasilah kesultanan Kedah' (Kedah royal family tree) after the installation of Tuanku Abdul Halim, who is Sultan of the northern state of Kedah, as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said Azizan. He hoped the documentary could promote Malaysia to the world, through the uniqueness of its monarchy system. Currently, many were more aware of the British monarchy, he said. The documentary is expected to be aired in 165 countries under the Discovery Channel programmes in September. Azizan said filming began last week and was expected to be completed soon, adding that Tourism Malaysia and Discovery Channel had the cooperation of the office of the Sultan of Kedah, especially in coming up with the script. "We are also referring to experts in the customs and tradition of the Malaysian monarchy and are working closely with RTM (Radio, Television Malaysia) and other television stations to obtain interesting clips from their archives," he said. Tourism Malaysia monitored the entire process of filming the documentary, he said. -- BERNAMA