76-698: The Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation ( ITBC ), in Bahasa Malaysia : Institut Biologi Tropika dan Pemuliharaan (IBTP) is a research institute of Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu , Sabah , Malaysia . Founded in 1996, its objectives have been to promote and carry out research on the biodiversity of tropical flora and fauna, especially of the Malaysian state of Sabah, and to build resources that facilitate this, such as technical laboratories for DNA analysis, organic chemistry, and microscopy, and
152-527: A purist approach in lexicography away from Western loanwords (even favouring established roots like Sanskrit and Arabic) as well as neologizing from native roots. In recent years, Malaysian has also been influenced lexically by the Indonesian variety largely through the popularity of neighbouring mass media like dramas, soap operas, and music – akin to the effect of American media towards other Englishes like those of Britain and Australia. This language had
228-610: A berth in a passenger ship, which stopped at Penang . Tunku Ibrahim , the Regent, and his eldest brother was unhappy with his choice of degrees and he ordered him to return to England to be admitted to the English Bar . On Tunku's initiative, the Malay Society of Great Britain was formed, with Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan (later the 1st Yang Di-Pertuan Agong ) as president and Tunku Abdul Rahman of Kedah as Honorary Secretary and
304-608: A deputy public prosecutor. His work was routine and he spent his days reading case files. Tunku was invited to accept the chairmanship of the Kedah branch of UMNO, the political party which had been formed by Dato' Onn Jaafar . But before long, the Attorney-General, Fosters-Sutton, visited Kedah and met Tunku in his office to ask if he would like to take up a new appointment in Kuala Lumpur , which Tunku accepted. In Kuala Lumpur, Tunku
380-890: A double room. He then telephoned his old friend, David Rees , who was now a prominent member of the British Labour Party . David Rees was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies under the Labour government from 1947 to 1950. David Rees was a valuable and influential ally. Tunku and Tan went to meet him the next morning in his chambers near the Inner Temple. David Rees promised to do everything possible to persuade Oliver Lyttleton to receive Tunku and his delegation. His persuasion proved to be potent, and on 24 April, Lyttleton agreed to meet Tunku. However, there
456-563: A new policy from the British Government in London. Templer was to guide the people of Malaya towards the attainment of a United Malayan Nation. The policy had also called for the partnership of all communities. To put this new policy into effect, the government had agreed to hold elections at the Municipal and Town Council level, as the first step towards a democratic government, and Kuala Lumpur
532-513: A portfolio in the Government, but Tunku refused it. Earlier in July 1953, the government set up a working committee to examine the possibility of holding State and Federal Elections. The committee was set up after Templer obtained the concurrence of Malay Rulers who at first were quite reluctant to accept such proposals due to their deep-rooted fear of what might befall them if Independence were granted. When
608-628: A reply was received from the Secretary of State who rejected the request for an interview. Emergency meetings of UMNO and MCA leaders were held and a decision was made. The decision was severely criticised both inside and outside the Alliance and it required great courage and determination for Tunku to proceed. Next were the financial problems. Tunku called for an emergency meeting at UMNO in Malacca where he asked for financial help. The response from UMNO members
684-484: A request for an elected majority and a firm date for the first elections. At the Legislative Council, when the demands by the Alliance were discussed, Onn told the Legislative Council that the holding of the elections should be planned as a gradual process and he questioned Tunku's demand. Onn's remarks were relayed to the Secretary of State and damaged Tunku's image. In August 1953, Gerald Templer offered Tunku
760-695: A significant influence on the Malay language through trade and the spread of Hindu-Buddhist religions that arrived in the Malay Archipelago from the 1st to the 14th century. Borrowed words include bahasa (language), raja (king), syurga (heaven), neraka (hell), desa (village). 2. Arabic: With the arrival of Islam in the region during the 7th century, Arabic began influencing the Malay language, especially in religious and philosophical terminology. Examples include kitab (book), masjid (mosque), ilmu (knowledge), iman (faith), zakat (almsgiving). 3. Tamil: The influence of
836-452: 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. On 6 October 1951, Sir Henry Gurney was killed in an ambush by communist revolutionaries. He was replaced by General Sir Gerald Templer who brought with him
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#1733105190998912-655: A temporary Regent until the Sultan returned to Alor Setar . On 17 December, the Sultan, the Regent, and his family and senior officers of the State Government set off for Alor Setar with a Japanese military escort. In Kulim, Tunku reluctantly remained as District Officer for another year as a servant to the Japanese Military Administration. Friction between Tunku and the Japanese officials were frequent, and he
988-601: A vigorous campaign to enlist support for "The Alliance". News of the venture appeared in all the leading newspapers. Tunku was in Province Wellesley when he read the news. He received a telephone call from a UMNO leader in Kuala Lumpur asking him to come back at once for a discussion. On his way to meet the UMNO leaders in Kuala Lumpur, he saw a leading member of Independence of Malaya Party , or IMP, and asked for his opinion of
1064-525: A year, he realised that he was making very little progress in his studies. After a meeting with Mr. Ezekiel, his guardian, in the office of the Crown Agents , Ezekiel arranged for the Tunku to move to Cambridge and to be taught by and live with Basil Atkinson . Atkinson was an experienced tutor and he also prepared Tunku to sit in a university entrance examination known as " Little Go ". The following year, he took
1140-637: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bahasa Malaysia Malaysian Malay ( Malay : Bahasa Melayu Malaysia ) or Malaysian ( Bahasa Malaysia ) — endonymically within Malaysia as Standard Malay ( Bahasa Melayu piawai ) or simply Malay ( Bahasa Melayu , abbreviated to BM )— is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia and also used in Brunei and Singapore (as opposed to
1216-447: Is not defined in detail other than "in the Roman script ", the name as well as Bahasa Melayu is used continuously in its own educational literature; however, there is presumption that the standard "Malay" used by Singapore is the same as that utilised by the Malaysian government in contrast to the standard used by Indonesia (though with little differences in vocabulary). Article 152 of
1292-546: Is prescribed by law as the official script of Malaysian Malay, and the Arabic alphabet called Jawi (or Malay script) is not legally prescribed for that purpose. Rumi is official while efforts are currently being undertaken to preserve the Jawi script and to revive its use in Malaysia. The Latin alphabet, however, is still the most commonly used script in Malaysia, both for official and informal purposes. While literary Malay throughout
1368-478: Is widely regarded, even by his critics, as Malaysia's " founding father ", the architect of Malayan independence and of the formation of Malaysia . As such, he is often referred to as Father of Independence ( Bapa Kemerdekaan ) or Father of Malaysia ( Bapa Malaysia ). 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 ,
1444-469: The 13 May incident . During the era of Mahathir Mohamad, the Malaysian Government coordinated all book publications to use the term Bahasa Melayu instead of Bahasa Malaysia to respect the constitution and the national language act. This led to the publication of many scholarly books that mixed the use of either Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Malaysia until the 2010s during Abdullah Ahmad Badawi era and
1520-729: The Alor Setar Malay Primary School before furthering his studies at the government English school, Sultan Abdul Hamid College . He and his siblings were later sent by his parents to Debsirin School in Bangkok. He returned home in 1915 to continue his education at the Penang Free School . When the Tunku was 17, he won the Kedah State Government scholarship to further his studies at Cambridge University . After about
1596-526: The Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), claiming that the involved terms with implementation of the additional words and pronunciations is the real correct terms as same as stated in the Qur'an, where it is predominantly used by the local Muslim netizens in the social medias nowadays. The several involved terms in comparison to Standard Malay that is popularly used, such as: Code-switching between English and Malaysian and
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#17331051909981672-565: 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
1748-500: 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
1824-566: The Malayan Union would come into effect on 1 April 1946. A British officer who had held Tunku's post before the war was appointed Superintendent of Education, Kedah in his place. The State Government did not give Tunku any new position. During this period, Tunku held no office in any Malay organisation. Tunku applied for 18 months' study leave and arranged to return to England to resume his law studies. He arrived in bunker on 27 December 1946 and travelled by train to London, and remained there for
1900-677: The variety used in Indonesia , which is referred to as the "Indonesian" language ). Malaysian Malay is standardized from the Johore-Riau dialect of Malay , particularly a branch spoken in the state of Johore south of the Malay Peninsula . It is spoken by much of the Malaysian population, although most learn a vernacular Malay dialect or another native language first. Article 152 of Malaysia's Consitution as drafted in 1957 (revised in 1963 ) merely mentions "Malay" ( Bahasa Melayu ) as
1976-524: The "Alliance". Tunku was confronted by protesting political colleagues, but he told them that he supported the Alliance and Intended to help in the campaign in Kuala Lumpur. At the counting of votes on 16 February 1952, the "Alliance" won nine seats, IMP, two, and an Independent one. The success of the UMNO-MCA alliance was repeated in other municipal and town council elections, starting in Johor Bahru, where, to
2052-453: The "Borneensis" natural history collection focusing on native flora and fauna. The institute has had three directors: the founding director, entomologist Prof. Dr. Maryati Mohamed (1996–2008), zoologist Prof. Dr. Abdul Hamid Ahmad (2008–2012), and the current director, organic chemist Prof. Dr. Charles S. Vairappan. ITBC publishes the open-access, online Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation . This Malaysian organisation article
2128-677: The 26th ruler of the Kedah Sultanate. Tunku's mother was Cik Menyelara (Nueang Nandanagara), a Thai, and the sixth wife of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah; she was the daughter of Luang Naraborirak (Kleb Nandanagara), a district officer in Thailand. Cholera and malaria were very common in Kedah at the time and at least two of Tunku's brothers and his older sister died from cholera while Tunku himself suffered from intermittent attacks of malaria until he left for London in 1920. He received early education at
2204-431: The Government showed his disapproval by transferring Tunku Abdul Rahman to the isolated post of District Officer at Langkawi . The district consisted of a group of islands, thinly populated, sparsely cultivated, and without roads. When the Tunku applied for government funds to develop Langkawi his application was rejected. Ever-resourceful, his way in winning co-operation from members of the public of all communities led to
2280-744: The Japanese Imperial government in Tokyo agreed to an unconditional surrender . When the Japanese surrender was announced over the wireless in mid-August, plans were hurriedly prepared in Ceylon for the dispatch of a British Military Administration . At the same time, the top Chinese Communist leaders in Malaya, Fong Chong Pik , who was nicknamed "the Plen" and a young Chinese Rebel named Chin Peng decided to try to seize control of
2356-454: The Malay community. Tunku realised that Parti Negara would attempt to weaken UMNO and subvert some of his UMNO supporters. But Tunku also knew that he must act now if the granting of Independence was not to be delayed indefinitely. London in mid-April 1954 was cold, damp, and cheerless. There was not even one press reporter to meet Tunku. Knowing their financial resources were limited, Tunku took T.H. Tan with him to Gloucester Road Hotel and booked
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2432-587: The Malaysian Constitution mentions the Malay language as the national language while the National Language Act 1963/67 strengthens the status of the Malay language as the official language. The use of the term Bahasa Malaysia was also official in the publication of books and government agencies before the 20th era. This matter was coordinated by the first Prime Minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman in order to distinguish Indonesian language after
2508-555: The Sultans of Johor , Selangor , Pahang , and Perak and securing their signatures to a new treaty. In Kedah , MacMichael was told that the Ruler would consult his Council of State before discussing with him. With these consultations proceeded, rallies and processions in opposition to the treaty were held in every district and the center of Alor Setar. Tunku was one of the most popular speakers in Alor Setar , Sungai Petani , and Kulim , but he
2584-463: The Tamil language came primarily through maritime trade between India and the Malay Archipelago. Borrowed words from Tamil include kedai (shop), mangga (mango), and vadai (a type of snack). 4. Chinese: Trade relations between Chinese merchants and the local population led to the borrowing of words such as tauhu (tofu), mee (noodles), lombong (mine). 5. Portuguese: The Portuguese occupation of Malacca in
2660-452: The beginning Najib Razak era and finally the term Bahasa Melayu was successfully harmonized in the education system in the 2020s. The national standard variety of Malay employed in Brunei largely follows the Malaysian standard; the main differences being minor variation in pronunciation and some lexical influence from Brunei Malay , the local non-standard variety of Malay. The Latin alphabet , known in Malay as Rumi (Roman alphabets),
2736-512: The chagrin of Dato' Onn, the Alliance won all the seats. Tunku followed up the Municipal elections by holding a 'Round Table Conference' on 3 February 1953, attended by leaders of the MCA and UMNO, in the Selangor Miner's Club, Kuala Lumpur. Everyone agreed to establish a permanent alliance of UMNO and MCA as a political body with Independence for Malaya as its principal objective. They also discussed
2812-574: The civil administration in as many states as possible. Tunku and his followers were responsible for the peace-keeping efforts and the protection of Alor Setar from the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army . On 19 August, the surrender of the Japanese Army had become common knowledge in Alor Setar . With the Japanese surrender, several groups of people talked about independence and discussed how it might be attained. Malay societies were formed all over
2888-594: The construction of a jetty and later to the opening of several earth roads using money and material which he collected. While in London, he sat once more for the Bar Examinations, as he planned to leave the Civil Service, and to enter private practice as soon as he had qualified as an advocate and solicitor. He succeeded in passing the Part One Examination, in 1939. However, with the advent of World War II, he
2964-536: 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,
3040-402: The country attacked the Government's proposals with a new rallying cry – ' Merdeka '. By then, recommendations had been forwarded to London, and Tunku in consultations with the Alliance leaders decided that they must ask for an interview with the Secretary of State in London. Tunku sent a long telegram to the Secretary of State asking him to meet a delegation from the Alliance. On 14 April 1954,
3116-464: The designation of its "national language" without any further definition, but the term bahasa Malaysia ( lit. ' Malaysian Language ' ) is used in official contexts from time to time. The use of the latter term can be politically contentious; in 1999 the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka rejected the publication of some short stories as the preface to the publication used the term bahasa Malaysia instead of bahasa Melayu . Between 1986 and 2007,
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3192-680: 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
3268-475: The driving force. In January 1931, the Tunku was appointed a Cadet in the Kedah Civil Service . Later, he was transferred to Kulim as Assistant District Officer. In Kulim, he devoted much of his time touring the district and getting to know the problems of the peasants who made up 90% of the population. He also devoted some of his time to prepare for Cadet's Law exam to qualify for the promotion. He took
3344-659: The early 16th century introduced words like gereja (church), keju (cheese), jendela (window), and almari (cupboard). 6. Dutch: Borrowing from Dutch occurred during the Dutch colonial period, including words like kabin (cabin), sekolah (school), kontrak (contract). 7. English: The English language introduced many technical and modern words into Malay, especially during British colonial rule. Examples include telefon (telephone), komputer (computer), bank, internet, and stesen (station). Colloquial and contemporary usage of Malay includes modern Malaysian vocabulary, which may not be familiar to
3420-506: The entrance exams and he obtained high marks for all his papers with a Pass for the whole examination. He was accepted as an undergraduate at St Catharine's College , one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge, and graduated with a bachelor's degree of Arts in Law and History in 1925. Five years after sailing from Singapore, at the age of 23, he sailed home. The Crown Agents secured the Tunku
3496-441: The exams and passed them on his first attempt. About a year later, he was promoted to District Officer of Padang Terap . The post was unpopular because Kuala Nerang was rife with malaria. As soon as he took over the district, he gave orders for a survey to be made of the swamps which bordered the town, obtained an estimate for draining them, and applied to the State Secretariat for the necessary funds. However, his plea for funds
3572-412: 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,
3648-450: 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. At
3724-577: The fluency of his spoken English and his genial personality attracted his audience and provided ample justification for his mission. When the contents of the 'Election Proposal' were released by the Colonial Office only then did Tunku discover that the Secretary of State had not accepted all the recommendations of the Election Committee. But Tunku was not satisfied. He had asked for at least 60 elected members. A substantial majority of elected members
3800-479: The municipal level, their chances of success would be greater. Together with his deputy, they met and sought the approval of Dato' Yahaya, the Chairman of UMNO in Kuala Lumpur. They quickly reached an agreement. Under the chairmanship of Col. H. S. Lee, a combined committee from the MCA and UMNO was formed and 12 candidates were selected, one for each area, some Malays, some Chinese, and one Indian. The committee then began
3876-437: The names of the members of the Election Committee were announced, Tunku observed that a majority of them were Onn Jaafar 's supporters. During the discussion, the members found themselves in two groups. The majority approved certain recommendations while the Alliance minority disagreed and made their proposals. When the majority of recommendations were accepted and proposed by the Government. Alliance representatives all over
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#17331051909983952-544: The need for racial harmony and a non-communal political party. A General Assembly was to be held in Kuala Lumpur in August 1951, and Onn had made it known that if his proposals were not accepted in this meeting, he would resign. Malay leaders while discussing the crisis recognised that they must find a successor to Onn. At that time, Tunku's qualities and ability as a leader were almost unknown outside Kedah. Finally, three candidates, including Tunku, were suggested to be nominated for
4028-558: The next 13 years. In 1963, he successfully incorporated the Federation of Malaya, British North Borneo (renamed Sabah ), Sarawak , and Singapore into the state of Malaysia. However, tensions between the Malay and Chinese communities resulted in Singapore's expulsion in 1965. His poor performance during race riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 led to his resignation in 1970. Commonly known simply as "Tunku" (a Malay royal title ), Abdul Rahman
4104-410: The next 18 months. When he passed all his law exams, Tunku sailed back to Malaya on the P.&.O. Corfu in January 1949 to be met by his wife, children, and friends in Penang . A few days later he called on the Secretary to the Government to inform him that he was now a qualified advocate and solicitor, but the reception was neutral. Tunku was instructed to report to the State Legal Advisor for duty as
4180-474: 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
4256-419: The older generation, such as: New plural pronouns have also been formed out of the original pronouns popularly nowadays and the word orang (person), such as: In addition, Arabic terms that is originally used in Standard Malay nowadays has been popularly changed where some of the words and pronunciations in the involved terms have been added by the local conservative Muslims by disputing the terms suggested by
4332-500: The peninsular with similar objectives, but with no coordination. On 10 October 1945, the Secretary of State for the Colonies issued his Policy Statement on a " Malayan Union ". In Kedah , both the principal Malay organisations held protest meetings and rallies. Tunku spoke forcefully at these rallies, but he recommended opposition by peaceful means. Sir Harold MacMichael , representing the British Government, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 11 October 1945. He came to Alor Setar after visiting
4408-417: The possibility of forming a united front with the Independence of Malayan Party, or the IMP. Tunku arranged a meeting with Onn. He brought H. S. Lee and Dr. Ismail . Onn brought three lawyers and two Malay civil servants. At the meeting, Onn told Tunku that IMP could only work together with the Alliance leaders if they disbanded the Alliance and joined IMP. Tunku tried to find some ground for compromise, but Onn
4484-443: The post of President if Onn stepped down. Abdul Razak , the State Secretary of Pahang and UMNO vice president went to meet Tunku in his house, to ask him to agree to the nomination, but Tunku was reluctant. Instead, Tunku replied that Razak himself was much better qualified to be nominated. But Razak convinced Tunku that he was much too young to gain the support of the Malay masses. After much persuasion, Tunku reluctantly accepted
4560-511: The region has mostly absorbed from Sanskrit , Tamil , Hindustani (Hindi–Urdu), Arabic , Persian , Portuguese and Sinitic languages ; the variety spoken within British colonies that eventually make up Malaysia following the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty borrowed majorly from English (in particular many scientific and technological terms) compared to Dutch as spread within the East Indies . Since Malayan independence and later Federation formation, its own Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka followed
4636-401: The royal family to marry non-Malays without the prior approval of the Ruler or Regent, the Tunku Abdul Rahman married Violet Coulson who lived in Penang . In 1934, the regent died unexpectedly and was succeeded as regent by Tunku Mahmud , the sultan's younger brother, who was more broad-minded and gave consent to the marriage. This enabled Violet to move to Kuala Nerang , but the Secretary to
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#17331051909984712-641: The term bahasa Malaysia was replaced by " bahasa Melayu ". In 2007, to recognize that Malaysia is composed of many ethnic groups (and not only the ethnic Malays ), the term bahasa Malaysia became the government's preferred designation for the national language. Internally as of present, the Dewan Bahasa prefers the term bahasa Melayu in its literature whereas Malaysia's Ministry of Education prefers both Bahasa Melayu in its syllabi material as well as Bahasa Malaysia in its official communications. In Singapore, "Malay" as an official language allocated in its constitution 's "General Provisions" (Part 13)
4788-437: 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
4864-532: The use of novel loanwords is widespread, forming Bahasa Rojak . Consequently, this phenomenon has raised the displeasure of linguistic purists in Malaysia, in their effort to uphold use of the prescribed standard language . Tunku Abdul Rahman [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Race and politics Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( Jawi : تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن المرحوم سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه ; 8 February 1903 – 6 December 1990)
4940-411: Was a Malaysian statesman and lawyer who served as the first prime minister of Malaysia and the head of government of its predecessor states from 1955 to 1970. He was the first chief minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957. He supervised the independence process that culminated on 31 August 1957 . As an independent Malaysia's first prime minister, he dominated the country's politics for
5016-408: Was adamant and the meeting ended. Tunku disagreed fundamentally with Onn's conception of a single political party consisting of members of all communities. He knew by instinct that each community needed its political party. The challenge that lay before him was finding a way to unite the communal parties. Soon, the Alliance leaders met again to discuss their campaign. They drew up proposals that included
5092-435: Was allotted an office in the Federal Secretariat, together with other Deputy Public Prosecutors. Tunku's work received a favourable report and he was transferred with promotion, to the post of President of the Selangor Court. At the same time, a political crisis was brewing in UMNO. When the Communist revolutionaries launched an armed rebellion from jungle bases during the Malayan Emergency , UMNO founder and president, Onn, felt
5168-404: Was chosen as one of the venues for the experiment. All the existing political parties were prepared to contest. One of these political organisation was the Malayan Chinese Association , or MCA. MCA was brought into existence in 1949 by two men, Colonel H. S. Lee , the President of the Selangor Mining Association , and Tan Cheng Lock of Malacca. It occurred to him that if MCA and UMNO allied at
5244-493: Was essential. While Lyttleton was overseas Tunku prepared his brief and on 14 May, Tunku, Abdul Razak and T.H Tan were ushered into the Secretary of State's room in the Colonial Office. Tunku explained in detail the Alliance's views on the importance of a workable elected majority and the need for early elections, but the Secretary of State insisted that the Alliance try out the Colonial Office Election proposals. Tunku pressed on further for an agreement on at least three-fifths of
5320-403: 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. With
5396-418: Was not invited to take part in any of the discussions convened by his half-brother, Sultan Badlishah . After three days of negotiations, the Sultan followed the example of his brother rulers. The Sultan's surrender was vigorously criticised by the public and by Tunku. MacMichael flew back to London after securing all the signatures from the rulers for the new treaty. Then the British Prime Minister announced that
5472-483: Was one problem. Lyttleton had arranged to leave for Uganda on an official visit on the following day and would not return until 10 May. It was a long time to wait and it would be stretch their financial resources to the limit, but Tunku decided to stay on. Meanwhile, with David Rees's help, Tunku gave a press conference at which he explained the popular support for the Alliance. He then had meetings with members of parliament of all three parties. Tunku's relaxed manner,
5548-522: Was recalled to Malaya and ordered to resume duty as District Officer in Kulim , where he remained for the next three years. 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
5624-405: Was rejected. He wrote again to the State Secretariat, asking that funds be made available to drain the swamps and to rid Kuala Nerang of the main breeding place malaria carriers. This time the money came and the work was carried out under his supervision. Because Tunku Ibrahim, the Regent, was known to be strongly opposed to mixed marriages and since there was a law in Kedah which forbade members of
5700-644: Was removed from his position of authority. The Siamese was then put in charge. Soon after the takeover by the Siamese, Tunku was appointed the Superintendent of Education. In 1942, the Japanese transported thousands of young male Malayans to work on the construction of a railway from North Siam to Burma . Tunku helped house and feed some escapees from the railway construction project at considerable risk to himself. On 6 and 9 August 1945, atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. A week later,
5776-524: Was swift. A quantity of money and even personal jewellery were handed to Tunku. After some final travel arrangements, Tunku and T.H Tan left Singapore on 21 April 1954, for London. Tunku flew to London all too conscious of the doubts of his Alliance partners and the strong criticism from Government officials. Before he left, he was aware that Onn Jaafar had dissolved IMP and formed a new political party called ' Parti Negara '. Onn had abandoned his vision of an all-communities party and directed his attention to
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