INTRODUCTION OF SCHOLAR
SCHOLAR
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj was born on February 8, 1903 in Alor Setar, Kedah. He was the 20th son of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halimshah, the 24th Sultan of Kedah and his wife who is known as Makche Mengalara. In 1909, Tunku started his education at a Malay school in Jalan Baharu, Alor Setar. A teacher came to his house to teach him English then Tunku moved to an English government school called Sultan Abdul Hamid College. Here, he studied at school during the day and read Al-Quran in the evening. In 1913, his mother sent him to Bangkok to live with his oldest brother, Tunku Yusuf when he was only ten years old. He was admitted to the Debsurin school. Tunku the returned to Kedah and continued his studies at a Malay school before entering the Penang Free School. When he was 17 years old, he was sent by his family to study in St. Catherine’s College, University of Cambridge, England. Although his academic records were not to be proud of, he was teh first Malay from Kedah to graduate from an English University in 1925 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and History from University of Cambridge. In 1927, Tunku was sent back to England to study law at Cambridge University because his family was unsatisfied with his past achievements.
He graduated in the first semester in the Inner Temple in 1930. After his return to Kedah, Tunku Abdu Rahman served as the Training Officer at the Kedah Legal Advisory Office in 1931, and was appointed as a colonial officer for Kuala Nerang teh following year. In 1938, Tunku returned to England for his third time to continue his studies in law. He returned to Kedah in 1939 because of the news that the war would erupt in Europe at that time. In 1940, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of South Kedah General Control Team Services. After his return to Malaya in 1949, Tunku Abdul Rahman was assigned to work at a legal office in Alor Setar. He then asked for a move to Kuala Lumpur where he was the Deputy Public Prosecutor and was later appointed as the President of the Session Court. During that time, the spirits of nationalism increased among the Malays amid the declaration of the establishment of the Malayan Union by Britain. During that time, Datuk Onn Jaafar was leading the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) against the Malayan Union. Tunku joined his party. In August 1951, a crisis within UMNO forced Datuk Onn Jaafar to resign as the party president and Tunku Abdul Rahman was appointed as the new president.
LEADERSHIP
He has visions because he had the guts to stand by his beliefs that the new nation should be a multiracial democracy. For the first time in history, Tunku was able to get the backing of the many races to collaborate.
His moral character is endearing, his honesty cannot be questioned, and his soft methods win the favour of many polarised regions of the nation.
He is aware of the numerous urgent problems plaguing us. Such a moral leader values distinction. He respects international law and human rights. He avoids using force because individuals are no longer willing to follow directions blindly.
Tunku actively participated in numerous regional and international activities to advance unity. He was crucial in the establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which fosters cooperation among nations with a majority of Muslims. He was a key contributor to Asean's creation as well.
CHARACTERISTICS
INTELLIGENCE
Tunku Abdul Rahman is a person that is full of knowledge. He graduated from University of Cambridge with a Bachelor of Law and History (HONS). Tunku Abdul Rahman was one of the nationalist that managed to awaken the spirit of nationalism among Malays. He even managed to unite the ethnic group into one.
On 9th September 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman stopped communist terrorism peacefully by declaring amnesty for communist terrorists who surrendered. He went to negotiate with the head of Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng, Chin Jien and Rashid Maidin in “Rundingan Baling”.
Tunku Abdul Rahman managed to stop the severe racial problem between Malays and Chinese. As the result of the hostility between Malays and Chinese increasing and reaching a dangerous level, Tunku decided to remove Singapore from Malaysia. Therefore, Malaysians became more peaceful and less riots were held.
DEDICATED PERSON
Tunku Abdul Rahman is a dedicated individual. He led a delegation of delegates to London in 1954 to secure Malaya's independence.
The initial attempt, nevertheless, was unsuccessful. The first federal election was conducted the following year. 51 of the 52 seats up for election were won by the Alliance Party, which at the time was a coalition of UMNO and MCA. Tunku was chosen to serve as Malaya's first Chief Minister. In 1955, the MIC, which represents Indians, merged with the Alliance Party.
Tunku travelled to London once more in 1955 to conduct talks on the independence of Malaya. This time, he was successful, and the date of independence was set as August 31, 1957. Tunku led the throng when the British flag was lowered in Kuala Lumpur on the nation's independence day.
Reference:
Ibrahim, Z. (2019, September 3). A nation yearning for moral leadership. Malaysiakini. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/490467
The reinvention of Malaya: Lessons from Tunku Abdul Rahman (2020) Leaderonomics. Available at: https://www.leaderonomics.com/articles/leadership/lessons-from-tunku-abdul-rahman (Accessed: December 29, 2022).
PeKhabar. (2018, March 16). Persidangan Malaya Merdeka Di London. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://pekhabar.com/h-i-d-s-persidangan-malaya-merdeka-di-london/
Tunku Abdul Rahman - UMNO Online. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://umno-online.my/presiden/tunku