Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al - Haj
Father of Independence
1st Prime Minister
Father of Independence
1957 - 1971
Tunku Abdul Rahman was the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. Since Tunku was a leader that was successful in the struggle in bringing independence to Malaysia from the British he was honoured and recognized as the "Father of Independence"
Tunku was born on the 8th of February 1903. Tunku was the 7th son and 20th child of Sultan Abdul Hamid Shah the Sultan (Ruler) of the State of Kedah, Malaysia. His mother's name was Manjelara or was called Makche Manjelara. She was a daughter of Luang Naraborirak (Kleb) a Thai district officer during the reign of King Rama v of Thailand.
During Tunku's childhood years, there was no electricity supply in Kedah or in Malaya as Malaysia was then known. The level of health especially in the villages was extremely low.
The village folk were always struck down by all kinds of diseases such as malaria and cholera. In fact Tunku himself was infected by such diseases when he was small. Tunku saw the bodies of his friends being taken away because they succumbed to the sickness.
Tunku stayed at Istana Kota Lama which was also known as Istana Tiga Tangga'. Tunku's pet name was "Awang". Until the age of 5, Tunku use to play only in the palace with his siblings and the children of the palace officials. However, when he grew older he went out of the palace and played with friends of the same age that lived in the villages close by.
In his teenage years Tunku preferred to go bare footed while playing. Through his mixing with the village children, Tunku gained a lot of knowledge like for instance the various species of birds in Kedah.
At the age of 8, Tunku started his schooling life. He enrolled in a school in Alor Setar which is now named the Sultan Abdul Hamid College. However, the school then is not as how it is now. It was only a temporary building with walls made of wood and painted green. A couple of steps were built to join all entrances.
All the children of that era walked to school but Tunku was lucky as transport was provided for him. Tunku's transport was a palace worker named "Pak Idris". Tunku was carried on his shoulders from the palace to school every morning. However as he was always made fun of by his friends he felt shy and at times he didn't want to be carried but walked accompanied by Pak Idris.
One day, Tunku went to school wearing the Royal headgear which had gold set in it. The headmaster of the school was Master Mohamad Iskandar who was the father of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (Malaysia's 4th Prime Minister). The Headmaster was very worried about Tunku's attire and didn't want it happening again so he met Tunku's mother and told her his uneasiness on the safety of the Royal headgear. He also asked for the assistance of Manjelara to ensure that Tunku didn't wear the headgear as it would disastrous if it got lost or if something untoward happened to Tunku. Upon hearing his explanation she agreed and since then Tunku didn't wear the Royal headgear anymore.
Tunku actually didn't like to be controlled and he was very naughty. One day, his class teacher Master Hassan couldn't stand his naughtiness and complained to the headmaster. Tunku was then punished by made to sit near Master Hassan's table.
Not long after that incident, Tunku didn't attend school anymore and stayed at the palace. He often played with his friends of the same age and swan with the in the river behind the palace. The river was crocodile infested and Tunku's mother didn't want to take the risk of losing her favourite child to them. Thus Tunku was enrolled into another school but he was not too happy about it.
Not long later, Tunku continued his studies at a house that was turned into an English school in Alor Star by the authorities. It was here he carried o with his studies that he left behind.
When Tunku was 13 years old, his older brother Tunku Yusoff who lived in Bangkok returned to Alor Star to ask his parents if he could take Tunku to Siam under his care. He wanted Tunku to continue his English studies in Bangkok and his parents agreed.
Tunku thus enrolled in Debsirindir School. The school was named after the mother of King Chulalongkorn the King of Siam who took Tunku Yusoff as his adopted prince. It was in this school located in the middle of Bangkok where Tunku continued his studies while studying Thai at the same time. In Debsirindir School Tunku joined the scouts and was also been the scout patrol leader.
Within a year of enjoying himself in Bangkok suddenly his brother was attacked by asthma and passed away. He was buried in the Muslim cemetery in Mahang, Bangkok. The passing of his bother greatly effected Tunku and as he had no one to depend on in Bangkok he decided to return to Alor Star.
Upon his return in 1916, he was enrolled in Penang Free School in standard 2. As Tunku was a smart student and had a strong desire to continue his studies thus within 6 months of studying there he gained a double promotion. Within 2 years, Tunku succeeded in entering Standard 7 which was the highest standard at that time.
Tunku was active in sports; he was football captain for Penang Free School. His ability to play football was outstanding and made the school proud. Thus it is not surprising that he founded that National Football League "Pesta Bola Merdeka".
When Tunku succeeded in the Standard 7 exams he was given the opportunity to continue his studies overseas. Tunku was offered a scholarship and continued his studies in St. Catherine College and after that to Cambridge University England.
Tunku left for England in May 1920 on the cargo ship named 'Rhesus' from Singapore to Southampton England. The voyage took 3 weeks and stopped at various ports such as Colombo, Sri Lanka, Eden and Gibraltar. He finally reached Southampton in Jun 1920.
After succeeding in his matriculation exams, Tunku was accepted into St. Catherine's College for the semester of 1922 and 1923. While there he stayed at a house in Hardwicke Street and he continued to horn his skills as a right fielder in football in the college team.
Tunku went back and forth 3 times from Malaya to England as his studies were interrupted. His 2 older brothers Tunku Badlishah and Tunku Ahmad Jewa were worried and angry with him for not focusing on his studies fully.
The 3rd time he went to England, Tunku met Tuanku Abdul Rahman the First King of Malaysia who was studying law there. The two of them use to meet and discuss and think about the importance of defending the Malays and it should be done in the proper method. These talks where often held and the outcome from their vision and discussion they decided to found the 'Malay Society of Great Britain'.
Tuanku Abdul Rahman was chosen as its President while Tunku on the other hand was picked as its Secretary General. When Tuanku Abdul Rahman returned to Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman took over as President.
In early 1931, Tunku returned to Kedah and in April the same year he worked as the Assistant District Officer of Kulim in Kedah. Tunku was later relocated to Kuala Nerang which was the administrative centre for the Padang Terap district. His experience as Assistant District made him realize how hard and torturing the tribulation the people had to go through to get the basic necessities like medicine, education as the people were so poor. The Economy especially those of the Malays were poor and backward.
Tunku himself use to feel angry and fed up with the attitude of the Colonial English as the rejected his application for get electricity and piped water to better the living situation and to ensure a healthier living so that diseases such as malaria won't affect the villagers.
When Tunku was 29 years old his mother wanted him to end his bachelor days. She asked him to choose any of the princesses in the country but that was not to be although he did promise his mother that he would get married soon. Tunku fell in love with a Chinese girl whose mother was of Siamese parentage and father a businessman dealing in tin in Alor Star whom Tunku knew well. His mother was happy about his choice and thus the marriage happened with the girl of his choice and who became a Muslim taking the name Meriam. They had 2 children, a daughter named Tunku Khatijah and a son named Tunku Ahmad Nerang. Unfortunately Meriam passed away 33 days after giving birth to her son due to Malaria. She was buried at the Royal Mausoleum in Langgar Kedah.
Not too long after, Tunku decided to marry another and he met his match in a girl from a reputable family in Kedah. Her name was Sharifah Rodziah. They got married in 1939 and it lasted till the end of his life. Tunku Abdul Rahman passed away on the 10th of December 1990. His body was laid to rest at the Royal Mausoleum in Langgar, Alor Star.
In his life Tunku was a leader of Royal blood but the heart for the people. When the Malays were facing a divide in 1951 due to Datuk Onn leaving UMNO, Tunku took over the leadership and strived hard without ensure that the Malays stick together. He was worried that should the Malays divide then the coming together of all races in the country to live in peace and harmony would fail should the Malays that were the back bone to unity were unable to come together again.
Together with his Malay, Chinese and Indian friends Tunku finally won the British's confidence that the people of Malaya were ready to live in the country named Malaya. Tunku managed to bring the races together where the MCA for the Chinese and the MIC for the Indians where merged into a coalition known as the Alliance. He led the Alliance to victory in the country's first general election in July 1955 and was appointed the country's Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. Under Tunku's leadership as Prime Minister he brought pride with the completion of various sectors such as infrastructure and buildings, health, education and poverty elimination to bring up the citizens socio economy. In 1956, he led a mission to London to have a discussion with the British government on Malaya gaining independence. The mission was fruitful and resulted in the signing of the Independence Treaty at Lancaster House in London on February 8th 1956. The way Tunku achieved this is admired because he managed to gain us independence without a drop of blood and it was proclaimed on the 31st of August 1957. Tunku was then elected the first Prime Minister of Malaya and led the Alliance to victory in the 1959, 1964 and 1969 general elections. On September 16, 1963 The Federation of Malaya was changed to Malaysia. Tunku stepped down in 1971.
The formation of Malaysia was one of his greatest legacies. In 1961 at the Foreign Correspondents Association of Southeast Asia in Singapore he proposed a federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. On September 16, 1963 with the federation of all these states except Brunei, Malaysia was formed and Tunku was restyled as Prime Minister of Malaysia. However, due to difference with Lee Kuan Yew on various issues Tunku demanded that Singapore withdraw from Malaysia, which it did on the 7th of August 1965.
In 1960, Tunku established the Islamic Welfare Organisation (PERKIM) to help new Muslim converts adjust to news lives as Muslims. He was President of PERKIM until a year before his death. In 1969, he helped to set up the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) of which he was the first Secretary-General. He also promoted the international Al-Quran reading competition which was first named Musabaqah Al-Quran but is now known as "Tilawah Al-Quran".
In 1977, after acquiring substantial stocks in The Star, a Penang based newspaper, Tunku became its Chairman and his columns "Looking Back" and "As I see It" were critical of the government and in 1987, Dr. Mahathir banned the newspaper.
Tunku's service, contribution and struggle for the nation and its people will be forever remembered till the end of time.