Sultan Mudzafar II Syah of Ternate

When you want to make it complete you should put Masjur Kamo Lano behind his name. Before his predessors had even more elaborate titles.
When his father Sultan Iskandar Muhammad Djabir Syah (the last ruling sultan) died in 1975 his crownprince Mudafar became quite political active for his area and remained as such through out his life until now. In 1987 he installed himself as Sultan of Ternate, but in that time that wasn't recognized officially.
He is married now with his 4th wife, which is a princess of Surakarta.
In 2000 he was in the middle of a poltical crisis in the N-Moluccans, but now he is in more peacefull political waters. He laso was before chief of the main Indonesian political party in the N-Moluccans(Golkar)and chief of the local parliament,but now he shifted his activities more to the direct welfare of his people,business and his tasks as chief of the Forum Komunikasi dan Informasi Keraton se Nusantara;the 2nd biggest representative organisation of the Indonesian dynasties.
His crown is quite a religious symbol (in other parts of Indonesia the crown is just more a decorative symbol taken from the western culture). It is said, that it contains hair of the first muslim Sultan of Ternate, who ruled 5 centuries ago.To discuss about this item is now not important,more important, that Ternate before in history was only the 3rd dynasty of 4 of the Moluccans,but because of clever politics it became the first powerfull of the Moluccans. The raja dynasty of Loloda in West-Halmaheira says, that is is descended from a Ternate sultan and the Sultan's dynasty of Jailo was since several centuries under the political umbrella of Ternate. It's powerbase in the N-Moluccans is more to the west. Before the total Moluccans and the westpart of West-Paua was under the influence of the 4 N-Moluccan sultans.
Even in the Christian part of Indonesia the Sultan has family links, because his daughter Princess Mira Syah is maried with the Raja of Amarasi on Timor: Raja Robert Koroh.
The main issue now is to setle, is that not each of the 4 sultanate area's tries to make his area the most important, but to work together in true harmomny and that is everywhere in the world the most difficult thing.
In the N-Moluccans they have the Moloku Kie Raha system:the system of the 4 Kings of the mountains (the volcano's seen as mountains).
In Ternate they don't have a real father to son succesionsystem. A candidate is selected by the traditional system chiefs and the Sultan. That has not been done yet. Maybe the oldest som Prince Ismunandar Aim Syah will be the crownprince later.
The Sultan is known as a quite educated man and also still speaks even Dutch.
At least all educated Indonesian people are proud, that they are still friends with their former colonisers, from which they became free from 1945-1949. In Indonesia it is like: when the problemaffair is over there is no need to obstruct, that you can become friend again with your so-called former enemy.

Donald Tick,
Pusat Dokumentasi Kerajaan-kerajaan Indonesia "Pusaka"
Edit by festivi