Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul RahmanWho is Tunku Abdul RahmanTunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj was born on February 8 1903 at Istana Pelamin, Alor Setar, Kedah. He was the twentieth child and seventh son of grand Turk Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, the twenty-fourth Sultan of Kedah.1 His m another(prenominal) on the other hand, Paduka Seri Cik Manjalara was the daughter of a Siamese nobleman, Luang Noraborirak.In 1909, Abdul Rahman received his early education at a Malay simple School before being tranferred to the Government English School, which is currently know as the Sultan Abdul Hamid College. Following that, he was sent to the Debsirin School in Bangkok. A Kedah State Scholarship awarded to him in 1920 took him to England to further his studies. In England, he read History and Law at St. Catherines College, Cambridge. He successfully obtained his bach of Arts Degree in 1925.While studying at England itself, his ace for lead was made apparent due to the lack of representation of Malay students at the institution by any clubs or organisations. Abdul Rahman remedied the problem by establishing the Kesatuan Melayu Great Britain (Malay Association of Great Britain). He held the post of Secretary.Upon his return to Malaya, he served the Kedah Civil Service as a cadet in the levelheaded Advisors Office. Following that, he served as a District Officer in Kuala Nerang, Langkawi, Sungai Petani, and finally in Kulim.2 Abdul Rahman was the only Malay District Officer at that time. This made him widely un popular amongst many British officials. However, no follow up was taken by the British Administration in Kedah, as he was of royal lineage.Unfortunately, his attempt at completing his legal studies at the inward Temple in England came to a halt due to the outbreak of human being War II. He resumed his studies at the Inner Temple soon afterward and qualified for the Bar. On his return to Malaya, he was appointed as a Deputy Public Prosecutor. During the nationalistic battle against th e Malayan Union, Tunku Abdul Rahman joined the unite Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He proved to be very popular amongst party members and was later on appointed as Chairman of UMNO Kedah in 1948.On deluxe 26 1951, Tunku became the UMNO chairman. Following that, he formed a political union with the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA). This political alliance was later joined by the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) in 1955. This political alliance was called the Alliance Party. That same year, the Alliance Party win the first federal general elections. Tunku Abdul Rahman was elected as the first headspring Minister of Malaya.In 1955, Tunku lead a delegation to England to negotiate with the British government for the independence of Malaya. This lead to the signing of the Independence Treaty at Lancaster House in London on February 8 1956.3 On the thirty-first of August 1957, the British flag was lowered in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaya flag was elevated in its place. Tunku Abdu l Rahman led the crowd at Dataran Merdeka in announcing Merdeka (Independance). This will ever remain a historical moment in Malaysian history.It cannot be argued that one of Tunkus greatest acheivements was the formation of Malaysia, comprising of the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Singapore. However, due to several political issues, the federation of all these states, excluding Brunei was formed on the 16th of September 1963. Tunku Abdul Rahman was restyled as Prime Minister of Malaysia. 4Unfortunately, the racial factor only worse with the inclusion of Singapore, raising the Chinese population close to 40%.5 On August 7, 1965, Tunku Abdul Rahman announced to the Malaysian Parliament to vote yes on the declaration to remove Singapore from the federation. Singapore officially acheived independance on 9 August 1965.Following the racial riots of May 13, many UMNO leaders were critical of Tunku Abdul Rahmans leadership and an emergency committee, MAGERAN took pow er and declared a state of emergency. On 22 September 1970, Tunku Abdul Rahman was coerced into resigning as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Tunku Abdul Razak. Following that, he then resigned as UMNO President on June 1971 amidst severe opposition from the schoolboyish Turks, comprising of Mahathir Muhammad and Musa Hitam.6Aside from the formation of Malaysia, Tunku as well as had a many other acheivements. Other than making Islam the state religion in 1960, he besides established the Moslem Welfare Organisation (PERKIM), an organisation helping newly converted Muslims adjust to their lives as Muslims.7 Tunku also helped establish the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), of which he was also the Secretary General.An avid sprtsman, Tunku was a considerable fan of football. This led him to become the President of the Football Association of Malaya, President of The Asian Football Confederation and President of the Asian Badminton Confederation. He also supported Semang at 46, a splinter group of UMNO led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.8Tunku Abdul Rahman passed absent on 6 December 1990 at the age of eighty-seven. He was put to rest at the Langgar Mausoleum at Alor Setar.FOOTNOTE1. Wikipedia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, URL http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunku_Abdul_Rahman, accessed 17 surround 2010.2. Sejarah Malaysia, Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, URL http//sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my/portalBI/detail.php?section=sm02spesifik_id=95ttl_id, accessed 17 promenade 2010.3. Perdana.Org, Tunku Abdul Rahman, URL http//www.perdana.org.my/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=184Itemid=124, accessed 17 March 20104. Prime Ministers if Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, URL http//www.primeministersofmalaysia.net/1.php, accessed 17 March 20105. Wikipedia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, URL http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunku_Abdul_Rahman, accessed 17 March 2010.6. Wikipedia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, URL http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunku_Abdul_Rahman, accessed 17 March 2010.7. Ne twork Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, URL http//www.networkmalaysia.com/ supply/people/TunkuAbdulRahman.htm, accessed 17 March 20108. State University.Com, Tunku Abdul Rahman (Putra Alhaj) Early life, Early political career, Road to independence, Prime Minister, Involvements in Islam, Later life, Family, URL http//encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com/pages/22669/Tunku-Abdul-Rahman-Putra-Alhaj.html, accessed 18 March 2010.