Secret Wife

Islamic law permits a man to marry as often as he chooses--provided he never has more than four wives at a time. For a man as enthusiastic as the Sultan of Pahang, however, it may sometimes be hard to keep count. An eternal youth at 52, Sir Abu Bakar Ri'ayatu'd-Din Al-mu'adzam Shah ibni Al-marhum Al-mutasim Bi'llah Sultan Abdullah, soon to celebrate his 25th year as ruler of the largest state in Malaya, is a man as huge (6 ft. i in., 200-plus Ibs.) as his name, and as perenially active as the tongue that tries to pronounce it. An inveterate and skillful marksman, golfer, tennis and polo player, he is easily the most tireless partygoer in all Pahang; in 1956, accompanied by a troupe of shapely dancing girls, he literally danced the Communist menace out of his corner of the Malayan jungle by throwing one rousing village party after another for villagers throughout his sultanate. He also made friends by promising "more roads, schools and water." and by showing considerable ability as a ruler.

In the quiet times between parties, the Sultan has found time to keep his household stocked with the requisite number of permissible wives; they have borne him 20-odd children. Wife No. 1, the "official consort," is the daughter of a neighboring sultan, but Wife No. 4 found her way to the Sultan's side via the dance halls of Kuala Lumpur. As the mother of the Sultan's latest-born son, she has been generally considered the royal favorite.

Last week Pahang was astonished to learn that its sportive Sultan had secretly annexed still another wife. The newcomer was lissom, 20-year-old Hathifah Binte Abdul Rashid Alis, also a graduate of the Kuala Lumpur dance halls, who in 1955 was elected "joget queen" as Malaya's finest practitioner of the traditional local dance.

Last week as Hathifah, swathed in costly clothes and jewels, embarked by ship with her protector for the bright lights of Hong Kong, the girl's grandfather, from his wooden hut outside Kuala Lumpur, revealed the news that the pair were married two weeks ago in a proxy ceremony lasting five minutes. The Sultan was irate that the news got out, and would not say which if any of his previous wives he had divorced in order to stay inside the Islamic maximum. But Grandpa felt he had to tell all; otherwise there would be talk about his granddaughter being on a cruise with the Sultan. "People." said Grandpa, "were saying all sorts of nasty things. She was a joget girl, and you know how vulnerable dancers are to gossip." He added, a little nervously: "I hope the Sultan will understand."

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