As the nation mourns the demise of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah who succumbed to a heart ailment on Wednesday, one royal question remains unanswered: who will be the next king?

According to convention, when a Yang di-Pertuan Agong dies in office, it is his deputy who will ascend the throne and this has happened three times since Malaysia achieved independence in 1957.

But observers noted that the federal government led by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad may have reservations about the present deputy king, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu.

This is due to the widespread belief that 39-year-old Mizan ( photo ) is close to the Muslim opposition party PAS or at least to the party's deputy president Abdul Hadi Awang.

PAS, which governs the states of Terengganu and Kelantan, is the arch-political nemesis of Mahathir's ruling Umno.

Signs of Mizan's sidelining arose when Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim yesterday suggested that the next King may not be the Sultan of Terengganu.

"If one looks at the rotation system and seniority, Raja of Perlis should be the next King," the minister was quoted as saying by the Utusan Malaysia daily.

Close ties

PAS came into power in Terengganu two years ago and Abdul Hadi became the state's menteri besar.

Apart from this, Abdul Hadi's late father was the religious teacher to Mizan's deceased grandfather and thus the two families have shared a cordial relationship.

One eyewitness claimed that both Mizan and Abdul Hadi hugged each other when the pair met in the palace after PAS' victory in the state. This took everyone by surprise as the palace protocol was totally ignored.

"Sultan Mizan was just so happy to have someone from the family which has helped the state royalties in upbringing religious affairs as his menteri besar," said the source who requested anonymity.

Mizan is also known to be supportive of the state's religious agenda and Islamic administration. Early this year, he even conferred the honorific 'Datuk Seri' title on Abdul Hadi.

It is also learnt that Mizan was unhappy with the federal government when it revoked oil royalties to the state last year.

Instead, a 'goodwill payment' was paid through a separate committee set up in Terengganu - Malaysia's poorest state with a poverty rate of 33 percent.

Mahathir reportedly said he did not trust the PAS-led state government to handle the money and therefore the committee was set up to ensure that the people of Terengganu will directly benefit from it.

But PAS claimed it was 'politics of revenge' to punish the Terengganu people as they voted the ruling Barisan Nasional out of the state.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is chosen every five years among the rulers of nine peninsular states, known as the Conference of Rulers. Following Sultan Salahuddin's demise, the rulers are expected to meet within the next four weeks to select a new monarch.

Since 1957, the sequence of rulers who ascended the throne are as follows: Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perlis, Terengganu, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Johor and Perak.

Judging by this rotation sequence, Raja of Perlis should have been made the deputy to Sultan Salahuddin who was crowned King in 1999.

However, Raja Tuanku Syed Putra from Perlis was not elected then because he was the third King (1960-65) and a ruler can only hold the post for one term. Therefore, Perlis gave way to Terengganu.

But Tuanku Syed Putra passed away last year and his son Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra ( photo ) was made the new ruler of Perlis. He therefore qualifies and stands a good chance of becoming the next King.

Under the Constitution, the King is the head of state with ceremonial powers such as being the federal head of religion and armed forces. Actual executive power, however, lies in the hand of the head of government - the prime minister.

Nominal powers

In any case, the federal government has no reason to be fearful of the King - albeit Sultan of Terengganu or Raja of Perlis - who has only nominal powers.

Furthermore, Mizan is said to be less enthusiastic about becoming King now as he is young and his eldest son is a minor who is not suitable to be made the regent of Terengganu.

Yet, Selangor royalty Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin said the government does not want to take the risk as it is still unfamiliar with, perhaps even wary of Mizan, who took over his late father's duties in 1998.

"They do not want to have an unknown factor in the politics. A devil you know is better than an angel you don't know," said Raja Petra, the nephew of the late Sultan Salahuddin.

According to Raja Petra, the question in hand is not whether Perlis or Terengganu should get the post.

"It is rather how the federal government is transgressing its power by making statements over the selection process which is the full discretion of the Conference of Rulers," he said.

But the government may find its pressure on the conference in vain, considering the occasional clashes between the both in recent years after Mahathir curbed the Malay rulers' constitutional powers - including the abolishment of immunity in courts in 1993.

"I have confidence in the Conference of Rulers that they will make the best decision without fear or favour," said Raja Petra.