Raja Muda Jaafar, A Prince Close to the People's Hearts
The state of Perak Darul Ridzuan is renowned for its unique royal succession system known as the 'Raja-Raja Bergelar' (titled royals), which is the most distinct royal system practiced in Malaysia, exclusive to the state of Perak Darul Ridzuan.
Before a royal prince can ascend to become the Sultan of Perak, they must hold one of the designated positions, starting from Raja Kechil Bongsu up to Raja Muda. This time, orangperak.com would like to invite readers to get to know the distinguished personality of the Raja Muda of Perak, His Royal Highness Raja Muda Ja'afar ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Musa.
Raja Muda Ja'afar was born on September 26, 1941, at Taiping Hospital. He is the son of the then-Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dato’ Musa ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdulaziz, and Cik Puan Mariam binti Encik Abdullah. He received his early education at Anderson School, Ipoh, and later at Anglo-Chinese School, Telok Anson (now Teluk Intan), before pursuing a bachelor's degree in public administration at the University of Malaya. He continued his studies to earn a master's degree in the same field at Cornell University, United States, in 1975.
Raja Muda Ja'afar possesses extensive experience in public administration. He joined the Perak State Secretary's Office in 1966 and subsequently served in the District Land Office from 1966 to 1971. From 1976 to 1979, he served as a management consultant at the Prime Minister's Department.
From 1979 to 1984, he served the Ministry of Education in the Higher Education Division, and later became the secretary of the Foreign Investment Committee at the Economic Planning Unit. He also served as the Deputy Secretary-General of Development and Finance at the Ministry of Defence before finally retiring from government service in 1996.
In his capacity as a royal in the state of Perak, he was appointed as Raja Kechil Tengah on February 3, 1984, Raja Kechil Sulong in 1988, and subsequently became the Raja Di-Hilir on March 10, 1998, following the passing of DYAM Raja Ahmad Hisham bin Raja Abdul Malik. He served as the Raja Di-Hilir of Perak for 16 years.
As the most senior prince in the Perak royal succession, Raja Ja'afar bin Almarhum Raja Muda Musa was proclaimed as the Raja Muda of Perak before the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar, on July 1, 2014. His wife holds the title of Raja Puan Besar of Perak.
Raja Jaafar married Her Royal Highness Raja Nor Mahani Binti Almarhum Raja Shahar Shah in the 1970s. He later married Cik Puan Hasliza Ishak, who has since passed away. Raja Jaafar is blessed with a son and a daughter, YM Raja Shah Azman and YM Raja Nor Azwina.
Raja Muda Ja'afar frequently attends events with the people. He is someone who is very fond of the history of Perak and enjoys sports such as golf, music, and remote-controlled airplanes. He is the Honorary Commander of the Royal Malaysian Navy. He is also the President of the Mini Sports Car Owners Club and the Royal Patron of the Perak Golf Club.
His full title is His Royal Highness Raja Ja'afar ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Musa, Raja Muda of Perak Darul Ridzuan, D.K, S.P.C.M, J.S.M. We at orangperak.com offer our humble respects and loyalty to His Royal Highness and pray that he is always protected and blessed by Allah. Long live the Tuanku.
