Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman (; 8 February 19036 December 1990), widely known simply as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as the first prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 until 1970. He was also the only chief minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957, president of UMNO from 1951 to 1971, and leader of the Alliance Party from 1952 to 1971. As the leading advocate for self-governance, Tunku was central to the Malayan Declaration of Independence and the creation of Malaysia in 1963. He is widely recognised as the country's founding father and remains its second longest-serving prime minister.

A prince of the Kedah Sultanate, Tunku studied in Malaya and later graduated from St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Upon returning, he joined the colonial civil service, serving as district officer before becoming a public prosecutor in 1949. He entered politics by winning the UMNO leadership election in 1951 and formed the Alliance Party with the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysian Indian Congress the following year. Alliance won a landslide victory in the 1955 general election, after which Tunku became chief minister. He unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate an end to the Malayan Emergency through the Baling Talks, but successfully secured independence for Malaya through the Treaty of London in 1956. He proclaimed independence in 1957 and won a fresh mandate in the 1959 general election, before overseeing the formation of Malaysia in 1963, which included Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. He led the Alliance to another victory in 1964 but was increasingly troubled by ethnic tensions, particularly due to the worsening relationship with Singapore.

In 1965, following mutual provocations between UMNO and the People's Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew, he resolved to expel Singapore from the federation, formalised through the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965, with full separation taking effect on 9 August 1965. He won a fourth term in the 1969 general election, but the Alliance’s reduced majority was followed by violent unrest during the 13 May incident, prompting a national emergency. Tunku stepped down as prime minister in 1970 and was succeeded by Abdul Razak Hussein. In retirement, he remained active in sports and international Islamic affairs, serving as president of the Asian Football Confederation and as the first secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. He died in Kuala Lumpur on 6 December 1990, aged 87.

Early life and education

Tunku Abdul Rahman was born on 8 February 1903 in Alor Setar, Kedah, the seventh son and one of 45 children of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, the 26th ruler of the Kedah Sultanate. His mother, Cik Menyelara (Nueang Nandanagara), was of Thai descent and the sixth consort of the Sultan. She was the daughter of Luang Naraborirak (Kleb Nandanagara), a district officer in Thailand. Kedah at the time was afflicted by outbreaks of cholera and malaria, and several of Tunku’s siblings succumbed to illness. He himself suffered frequent bouts of malaria until his departure for England in 1920.

Tunku began his education at the Alor Setar Malay Primary School before enrolling in the English-language Sultan Abdul Hamid College. He and his siblings were later sent to Debsirin School in Bangkok, reflecting the family's close ties to Thailand. In 1915, he returned to Malaya and resumed his studies at the Penang Free School, one of the oldest English-language schools in the region. At the age of 17, he was awarded a Kedah State Government scholarship to pursue higher education in England, and he sailed for the United Kingdom shortly thereafter.

Initially struggling with his studies, Tunku met with his guardian at the offices of the Crown Agents, who arranged for him to transfer to Cambridge and study under Basil Atkinson, a respected private tutor. Under Atkinson’s guidance, he was prepared for the university entrance examination, known as the "Little Go", in which he achieved high marks across all papers and passed overall. He was admitted to St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge, where he read law and history, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925. Five years after his initial departure from Malaya, he returned home at the age of 23. Although he arrived with academic credentials, his elder brother and the Regent of Kedah, Tunku Ibrahim, was dissatisfied with his choice of study and instructed him to return to England to qualify for the English Bar. During this period, Tunku helped found the Malay Society of Great Britain, appointing Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan (later the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong) as president, while serving as its honorary secretary and principal organiser.

Career in Kedah

Kulim

In January 1931, the Tunku was appointed a Cadet in the Kedah Civil Service.

He was responsible for the Civil Defence preparations implemented by district officers. He was appointed Deputy Director of Air Raid Precautions for South Kedah. He recognised the need to prepare for the evacuation of civilians in the event of an invasion and in 1941 he gave orders for the construction of six "Long Houses" made of round timber and with attap roofs on a low hill about two miles away from the town. Funds for this work had been refused by the State Secretariat and he, therefore, invited donations from local town dwellers who would benefit if evacuations became necessary.

By October 1941, British troops had prepared defensive positions in North Kedah. On the morning of 8 December 1941, the Invasion by the Japanese army began. The attack was quickly followed by the advance of General Yamashita's army which had landed unopposed on beaches near Songkla the previous night. A second assault force came ashore, unopposed, on the coast of Petani and advanced towards Betong and Kroh. A third but smaller force landed close to Kota Bahru in Kelantan despite vigorous opposition.

Unaware of the extent of the Japanese attack, he went to his office and ordered a general alert for his air wardens. Later that morning, he met the leading shopkeepers and advised them to evacuate their families to the "Long House".

His eldest surviving brother, Tunku Badlishah, had succeeded Tunku Mahmud as Regent in 1937 when the latter died. He was now in control, since Sultan Abdul Hamid, although still alive, was incapacitated. At about 9 o'clock on the night of the invasion, Syed Omar telephoned Tunku and told him that the Regent had decided to evacuate the 77-year-old Sultan to Penang, and thence to Singapore. Tunku disagreed with this decision, feeling the need for the Sultan to remain with his people, he absconded with him during the journey. Soon after, the Japanese began bombing Penang.

Occupation

With the Japanese's bombing Penang, the Regent and his family fled. They were given accommodation in Sidim when the second and more severe bombing of Penang town took place on 11 December 1941, which caused hundreds of civilians to be killed. Upon returning, to Kulim, Tunku found out that all the Police were no longer on duty. Tunku's first concern was to prevent looting and he called all members of the disbanded Kedah Volunteer Force in Kulim to come to his assistance. These men formed a vigilante corps and Tunku arranged for them to patrol the town at night. He was also responsible for the acquiring of emergency food stores from the Government Rice Mill at Bagan Serai in Perak. By 16 December 1941, the Japanese army had occupied the west coast of Kedah, including all the main towns. The Japanese Military Governor of Kedah an assuming office appointed another of Tunku's brothers, Tunku Mohamed Jewa, to be a temporary Regent until the Sultan returned to Alor Setar.

After much persuasion, Tunku reluctantly accepted the nomination. The UMNO Assembly met on 23 August 1951, where Tunku received 57 votes and his nearest rival had 11. In his acceptance speech, Tunku demanded that independence should be granted to Malaya as soon as possible. Tunku was still President of the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur, with daily duties to perform drawing a government salary and living in government quarters. Tunku informed the Chief Justice of his intention to resign from government service.

In the eyes of the average UMNO member, Tunku was first and foremost the brother of the Sultan of Kedah, and a member of a royal house, which carried some prestige within Malaya. Tunku had acquired a wealth of experience as a district officer in Kedah, which enables him to understand and sympathise with the problems of the rural population, who made up a large proportion of the UMNO membership.

Alliance Party

At the time of Onn Jaafar's resignation from the presidency of UMNO, he had predicted that the party would disintegrate within three months. But even before the end of that period, it became clear that although influential Chinese and some prominent Indians and Ceylonese had become members of Onn Jaafar's new party, very few Malays had done so. Tunku held and expressed the view that Malayan communities could not be united within a single political party. He believed that each community needs its political party and its political leaders, and he was proven to be right. The first trial of strength between all the rival political parties took place in January 1952.

Sports involvement

Tunku became vice president of the Kedah Football Association after his return from Cambridge in the late 1930's. In 1949, Tunku became president of the Selangor Football Association, and a few years later he became president of the Football Association of Malaysia, serving in the position for 20 years. During his presidency, he introduced a competition for those under-18 years old such as the Piala FAM (FAM Cup) and the Piala Rahman (Rahman Cup). Being an avid sportsman, Tunku was a firm believer that sports can be a good catalyst in bringing about greater social unity among Malaysians of various races and religions. Therefore, he supported and initiated many sports events. These included an international football tournament, the Merdeka Tournament, in 1957. In the following year, he was elected as the president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a post he held until 1977.

Tunku also loved horse racing and was a regular at the Selangor Turf Club. He claimed that his lucky number was 13 and that he would win horse races that were held on the 13th of the month, especially on Friday the 13th for him. Tunku's racing interests included the champion racehorse Think Big. After it won the 1974 Melbourne Cup, Think Big's owners, Malaysian businessman Dato Tan Chin Nam, and Australian property developer Rick O'Sullivan, invited Tunku to join them as a part-owner of the horse. Think Big then won its second Melbourne Cup in 1975.

In 1977, having acquired substantial shares in The Star, a Penang-based newspaper, he became the newspaper's chairman. His columns, "Looking Back" and "As I See It", were critical of the government, and in 1987, Mahathir Mohamad banned the newspaper. This led to a split in UMNO, with Tunku himself and another former Prime Minister, Hussein Onn, setting up a new party called UMNO Malaysia, but its registration was quashed by Mahathir, who set up UMNO Baru in response. Tunku later supported Parti Melayu Semangat 46, a splinter group of UMNO led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. He campaigned actively for the latter in the 1990 Malaysian general election, but was already in very poor health. The well-educated, visionary Tunku stood in contrast to Mahathir's brand of ethnic nationalism, which promised to help Malays as part of the Ketuanan Melayu ideology.

Personal life

It was in Kulim that Tunku married his first wife, Meriam Chong who was the daughter of his friend, Chong Ah Yong, a Thai Chinese. A year after their marriage, Tunku's daughter Tunku Khadijah was born. A year later, a son Tunku Ahmad Nerang was born. A month after Meriam gave birth to her second child, she contracted a severe attack of malaria and died.

On Meriam's death, Tunku wrote to his lady friend in England, Violet Coulson, who ran a coffee shop that Tunku had frequented as a student. When Tunku's letter reached Violet, she dropped everything and turned up in Singapore. They were secretly married by the Kadi in the Malay mosque in Arab Street according to Muslim rites. After conversion, Violet's Muslim name was Puteh Bte Abdullah. Violet went to live in Penang because they had no approval of the Ruler or Regent. Tunku Ibrahim, the Regent, was strongly opposed to mixed marriages, but when he died unexpectedly in 1934 and was succeeded as Regent by Tunku Mahmud, the Sultan's younger brother, he consented to the marriage. Though their marriage went well, Tunku's responsibilities in the public service were all-consuming and after a separation where Violet returned to London, they have divorced amicably in 1947. He then married Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah, with whom he adopted four children, Sulaiman, Mariam, Sharifah Hanizah (granddaughter), and Faridah. He also secretly married Bibi Chong and was given two children, Tunku Noor Hayati and Tunku Mastura.

Tunku's house, located at 1 Jalan Changkat Kia Peng in Kuala Lumpur, was acquired by the Government of the Philippines in 1987 and now serves as the chancery of the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia.

Death

He died peacefully on 6 December 1990

Honours and awards

Honours of Malaysia

50px Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN) (1970)
50px First Class Member of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK I) (1961)
50px Member of the Royal Family Order of Kedah (DK) (1982)
50px Member of the Kedah Supreme Order of Merit (DUK) (1958)
50px Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Kelantan (DK) (1970)
50px Knight Grand Commander of the Premier and Exalted Order of Malacca (DUNM) – Datuk Seri Utama (1985)
Recipient of the Tuanku Munawir Installation Medal (1961)
50px Member of the Perlis Family Order of the Gallant Prince Syed Putra Jamalullail (DK) (1965)
50px First Class Member of the Royal Family Order of Selangor (DK I) (1965)
50px Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SPMS) – Dato' Seri (1961)
50px Gold Medal of Sultan Salahuddin Coronation Medal (1961)
50px Member First Class of the Royal Family Order of Terengganu (DK I) (1964)

Foreign honours

50px Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) (1987)
50x50px First Class of the Family Order of Brunei (DK) – Dato Laila Utama (1959)
50x50px Grand Commander of the Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (SPMB) – Dato Seri Paduka (1958)
50px Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (1958)
50px Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sahametrei (1962)
50px Grand Collar (Raja) of the Order of Sikatuna (1959)
50px First Class of the Order of Merit for National Foundation (1965)
50px Grand Cross of the National Order of Vietnam (1965)
50px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao (1958)
50px Honorary Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) (1961)

Awards

Tokoh Hawana (2018)

Legacy

Buildings

The shape as well as the design of the Merdeka 118 tower resembles the silhouette of Tunku with his hand raised while chanting "Merdeka!" during the proclamation of the independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957.

Namesakes

Several places were named after him, including:

Putrajaya
Putrajaya Sentral
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management & Technology
Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, a marine park in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Tunku Abdul Rahman Foundation
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Football Cup
KD Tunku Abdul Rahman
Perdana Putra
Putra Bridge
Putra Specialist Hospital
Putra World Trade Centre
LRT
KTM Komuter
Putrajaya Line
Bandar Menjalara, a township in Kuala Lumpur named after Tunku's mother
Putra World Trade Centre a convention and exhibition centre
Masjid Putra, a mosque in Putrajaya
Tunku Abdul Rahman Memorial Academy in Nazapur, Senbag, Bangladesh
Jalan Tengku Abdul Rahman in Beurawe, Kuta Alam, Banda Aceh City, Aceh, Indonesia
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a major road in Putrajaya
Akuarium Tunku Abdul Rahman, Batu Maung, Penang
Masjid Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, a mosque in Jalan Merbok-Yan Kechil
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in George Town, Penang
Institut Teknologi Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur
Kampung Tunku Abdul Rahman Petra, a village in Jeli, Kelantan
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a major road in Kuching, Sarawak
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a major road in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Bukit Rahman Putra, a township in Sungai Buloh, Selangor
Bukit Tunku in Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Taman Juta, Kuala Kubu Bharu
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a road in Taman Permai, Ipoh Perak
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a major road nearby Batu Berendam Airport, Melaka
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a major road in Bandar Alor Setar, Kedah
Jalan Putra in Alor Setar, Kedah
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Taman Mekar, Krubong, Melaka
Taman Putra Perdana in Puchong Selangor
Putra Heights in Subang Jaya, Selangor
Putra Glass Hall, event venue in Kampung Bukit Lancung, Shah Alam, Selangor
Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj, a community hall centre in Jelai, Batu Kurau, Perak
Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Terengganu
Asrama Tunku Abdul Rahman, SMK Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor
Kolej Tingkatan Enam, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Sabak Bernam, Selangor
Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, an event venue hall in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman a road in Sibu, Sarawak
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kuching, Sarawak
Mural Tunku Abdul Rahman, a street art honouring him in Jalan Sultan Muhammad Jiwa, Alor Setar, Kedah
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a national secondary school in Kulai Johor
Sekolah Menengah Teknik Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, a national technical secondary school in Jelutong, Penang
Sekolah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a national primary school in Kuala Nerang, Kedah
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a national secondary school in Taman Rakyat Mergong, Alor Setar, Kedah
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman, a national secondary school in Nibong Tebal, Penang
Memorial Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj in Alor Setar, Kedah
Tunku Abdul Rahman Bridge in Perai, Penang
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Mosque in Kuala Kedah, Kedah
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Mosque in Lunas, Kedah
Masjid Tunku Abdul Rahman, a mosque in Kampung Tepi Laut, Kuala Kedah, Kedah
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Memorial, a memorial in Kuala Lumpur
Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman, a residential college at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Arau, Perlis
Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman, a residential college at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Machang, Kelantan
Kolej Rahman Putra, a residential college at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor

Notes

References

External links

The Tunku Abdul Rahman centennial PhD scholarship fund at Cambridge University