Abdul Razak Hussein Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Haji
Abdul Razak Hussein
Order:2nd
Office:Prime Minister of Malaysia
Term Start:22 September 1970
Term End:14 January 1976
Predecessor:Tunku Abdul Rahman
Successor:Hussein Onn
Order2:1st
Office2:Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
Primeminister2:Tunku Abdul Rahman
Term Start2:31 August 1957
Term End2:22 September 1970
Predecessor2:Office established
Successor2:Ismail Abdul Rahman
Office3:1st Chairman of Barisan Nasional
Term Start3:1 January 1973
Term End3:14 January 1976
Predecessor3:Position established
Successor3:Hussein Onn
Order4:3rd
Office4:President of the United Malays National Organisation
Term Start4:25 January 1971
Term End4:14 January 1976
Predecessor4:Tunku Abdul Rahman
Successor4:Hussein Onn
Office5:3rd Menteri Besar of Pahang
Monarch5:Abu Bakar
Term Start5:1 February 1955
Term End5:15 June 1955
Predecessor5:Tengku Mohamad Sultan Ahmad Mu'azzam Shah
Successor5:Tengku Mohamad Sultan Ahmad
Constituency Mp6:Pekan
Parliament6:Malaysian
Term Start6:11 September 1959
Term End6:14 January 1976
Predecessor6:Constituency established
Successor6:Najib Razak
Embed:yes
Subterm7:1955–1957
Suboffice7:Minister of Education
Subterm8:1957–1970
Suboffice8:Minister of Defence
Subterm9:1957–1970
Suboffice9:Minister of National and Rural Development
Subterm10:1967–1969
Suboffice10:Minister of Home Affairs
Subterm11:1970–1975
Suboffice11:Minister of Foreign Affairs
Subterm12:1974–1976
Suboffice12:Minister of Defence
Subterm13:1974
Suboffice13:Minister of Finance
Birth Name:Abdul Razak bin Hussein
Birth Date:1922 3, df=y
Birth Place:Pekan, Pahang, Federated Malay States
Death Place:London, England
Death Cause:Leukemia
Resting Place:Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Party:Labour Party (UK) (1947–1950)
United Malays National Organisation (1950-1976)
Children:5 (including Najib and Nazir)
Education:Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Alma Mater:Raffles College (unfinished)
Lincoln's Inn (LLB)
Profession:Lawyer
Branch:Askar Wataniah Pahang
Rank:Captain
Serviceyears:1941–1945
Battles:World War II
Unit:Force 136
Otherparty:Alliance Party (1955–1973)
Barisan Nasional (1973–1976)
Native Name Lang:ms

Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Dato' Haji Hussein (Malay: عبد الرزاق بن حسين|label=[[Jawi script|Jawi]]|script=arab|italic=unset; 11 March 1922 – 14 January 1976) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the second prime minister of Malaysia from 1970 until his death in 1976. He also served as the first deputy prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970. He is referred to as the Father of Development (Bapa Pembangunan).

Abdul Razak was the figure responsible for setting up Barisan Nasional (BN), which is the ruling coalition of political parties that held power in Malaysia. Abdul Razak is also renowned for launching the Malaysian New Economic Policy (MNEP).

His eldest son, Najib Razak, became the sixth prime minister in 2009; Najib is the first prime minister of Malaysia to be a descendant of a former prime minister.

Early life and education

Born in Kampung Pulau Keladi, a village located northwest of Pekan, Pahang on 11 March 1922,[1] Abdul Razak is the first of two children to Yang Dihormati (YDH) Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar ke-9, Dato' Hussein Awang bin Mohd Taib (1898–1950) and Datin Hajah Teh Fatimah bt Daud (1906–1968). An aristocratic descendant of Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar, Abdul Razak studied at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.

After joining the Malay Administrative Service in 1938, he was awarded a scholarship to study at Raffles College in Singapore in 1940. His studies at the college ceased with the onset of the Second World War. During the war he helped organise the Wataniah resistance movement in Pahang.[2]

After World War II, Abdul Razak left for Britain in 1948 to study law. In 1950, he received a law degree and qualified as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in London. During his student days in England, Abdul Razak was a member of the British Labour Party and a prominent student leader of the Malay Association of Great Britain. He also formed the Malayan Forum.

Involvements in World War II

Early WWII and Askar Wataniah

After his studies were interrupted in 1942 because of World War II, Abdul Razak returned to Kuantan, Pahang. There, he met his former colleague from the Malay Administrative Service, Yeop Mahidin, and expressed his interest in joining the Malay Regiment (now Royal Malay Regiment). Mahidin, who is also the founder of Askar Wataniah Pahang ('Pahang State Territorial Army'; precursor of Rejimen Askar Wataniah), recruited Razak into his new guerrilla forces. After finishing his training under Mahidin, Razak was instructed by him to join the Japanese Malayan Civil Service as an agent and informant.[3] [4]

Informant in Japanese Administration

After finishing his Japanese Military Training, Razak, as an aristocrat and son of a respected Malay leader in Pahang, was posted to his home-state Pahang as an assistant to District Officer and at the same time as a bridge for the Japanese to gain the trust of local Pahang Malays. Using his privileges as an aristocrat, Razak started networking with the Japanese Imperial Forces while maintaining his connection with Yeop Mahidin. His role as an informant inside the Japanese Administration was known only to a few of Wataniah members including Mahidin. Because of this, Razak was labelled as a traitor by the rest of the Wataniah Pahang.[5]

Force 136 Pahang

At first, the Malays were not fully trusted by the British to fight the Japanese because of a few incidents and better treatment by the Japanese Administration towards Malays compared to other races. After gaining sufficient trust, the Askar Wataniah Pahang with its 200 members was absorbed into the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and made into Force 136 Pahang.

Force 136 Pahang's missions' continuous success made the Japanese Administration begin to suspect that there were informants inside their administration. Force 136 Pahang quickly set up an extraction mission to recover their agent, Razak, who was still unknown to many of its members.

After he had been successfully extracted, Razak continued his work with Force 136 and was promoted to the rank of captain. Among notable missions, Razak was involved in the rescue of Sultan Abu Bakar of Pahang.

Political involvement

Upon his return from the United Kingdom, in 1950, Tun Razak joined the Malayan Civil Service.[1] Owing to his political calibre, he became the youth chief for United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Two years later, he worked as the Assistant State Secretary of Pahang and in February 1955, at just 33 years of age, became Pahang's Chief Minister.

Razak stood in and won a seat in Malaya's first general elections in July 1955 and was appointed as the Education Minister. He was instrumental in the drafting of the Razak Report which formed the basis of the Malayan education system. Tun Razak was also a key member of the February 1956 mission to London to seek the independence of Malaya from the British.[1]

After the general elections in 1959, he became the Minister of Rural Development in addition to holding the portfolios of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, which he held from 1957.[1] His achievements include formulating the development policy known as the Red Book.

Infusing young blood

At the time of Separation of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, Tun Razak realised that UMNO needed more young leaders in the party. Faced with, amongst other things Lee Kuan Yew's considerable oratorical skills, Razak wanted young Malay leaders – grounded in their own faith and culture – who would be able to speak and if necessary debate both in the Malay language and English language.

Razak understood that power resided in the Malay community and that for this power to be wielded effectively, the elite among the Malays had to be an elite determined by ability, aptitude and commitment to the nation as a whole. Class, birth and money were secondary in his calculations.

As a consequence of this initiative, the then young leaders of mixed heritage in UMNO, such as Mahathir Mohamad, were drafted into higher echelons of the political establishment.

In 1967 he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership.

Premiership

After the 13 May Incident 1969, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj received many criticisms from various parties for his inability to deal with racial issues. This led to his resignation as prime minister. Tun Abdul Razak then imposed a State of Emergency, ruling by decree as the National Operations Council until 1970.[1] In September 1970, Tunku Abdul Rahman was succeeded by Tun Abdul Razak as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Tun Razak set up the Barisan Nasional or National Front on 1 January 1973 to replace the ruling Alliance Party. He increased the membership of its parties and coalitions in an effort to establish "Ketahanan Nasional" (National Strength) through political stability.

Tun Razak is also renowned for launching the Malaysian New Economic Policy (MNEP) in 1971. He and the "second generation" of Malay politicians saw the need to tackle vigorously the economic and social disparities which fuelled racial antagonisms and violence. The MNEP set two basics goals – to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, and to reduce and eventually eradicate identification of economic function with race.

Death

Abdul Razak was diagnosed with leukemia but kept it secret since 1969.

Abdul Razak died in office on 14 January 1976[6] while seeking medical treatment in London. He was posthumously granted the soubriquet Bapa Pembangunan ('Father of Development'). He was laid to rest in Heroes Mausoleum near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Filmography

Year!scope="col"
TitleRoleNotesLink(s)
1969The Red BookHimselfTun Abdul Razak makes his debut in the film to explain the policy of rural economic development.[7] The film was produced by Malayan Film Unit (currently FINAS).

Election results

Year!
ConstituencyCandidateVotesPctOpponent(s)VotesPctBallots castMajorityTurnout
1959P062 Pekan, Pahang (UMNO)8,81177.26%Mohamed Ariff Abas (PMIP)2,59322.74%11,5086,21874.52%
1964Abdul Razak Hussein (UMNO)11,85887.39%Abdul Hamid Awang Hitam (PMIP)1,71112.61%14,16510,14776.63%
1969Abdul Razak Hussein (UMNO)12,64177.28%Yazid Jaafar (PMIP)3,71622.72%16,8458,92571.24%
1974P071 Pekan, PahangAbdul Razak Hussein (UMNO)Unopposed

Awards and recognitions

Titles

Bapa Pembangunan ('Father of Development'), (posthumously)

Yang DiHormat Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar ke-10

Honours of Malaysia

Foreign honours

Things named after him

Several things were named after him, including:

In popular culture

Motion picture & television

Stage/Theatre

External links

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia: Dale H. . Hoiberg . Encyclopædia Britannica . Abdul Razak bin Hussein, Tun Haji . 15th . 2010 . Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. . I: A-ak Bayes . Chicago, Illinois . 978-1-59339-837-8 . 21 . registration .
  2. Web site: 1967 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership – Tun Abdul Razak . 17 August 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071010064619/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Citation/CitationAbdulRazak.htm . 10 October 2007 . dead .
  3. Web site: Tun Razak, The Malaysian 'James Bond' And His Early Years As A Soldier Spying On Japanese Invaders. 31 July 2017. Malaysian Digest. https://web.archive.org/web/20180704213047/http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/29-4-tile/689822-tun-razak-the-malaysian-james-bond-and-his-early-years-as-a-soldier-spying-on-japanese-invaders.html. 4 July 2018. usurped.
  4. Web site: Tun Abdul Razak - The Hidden Story. Liew. Shan Lee. 24 January 2014. The Malaysian Patriot.
  5. Web site: Force 136 dan Komunis. 14 July 2017. The Patriots. ms.
  6. News: Razak is Dead - Malaysian Premier dies of leukaemia in London . . . 15 January 1976.
  7. Book: Hassan Abdul Muthalib . Malaysian Cinema in a Bottle: A Century (and a Bit More) of Wayang. 2013 . Merpati Jingga. 9789670584010. 88.
  8. News: Lagi dua orang bergelar Tun. 31 August 1959. Berita Harian. 1.
  9. Web site: Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1976..
  10. Book: Zainuddin Maidin. Tun Razak: Jejak Bertapak Seorang Patriot. 1997. Lembaga Pemegang Amanah, Yayasan Tun Razak. 967-61-0751-4. Kuala Lumpur. 320. 38048384.
  11. News: Bintang Pahang untok Sultan Johor. 30 May 1967. Berita Harian. 2.
  12. News: Top award for Razak. The Straits Times. 5 February 1975. 22.
  13. News: 21 das untok menyambut Seri Paduka di-Kangar. Berita Harian. 16 September 1965. 5.
  14. Web site: SPMS 1965. awards.selangor.gov.my. 24 January 2022.
  15. News: Tengku and brother head list of honours . . 28 October 1961 . 7.
  16. News: Anugerah Sultan kepada Tengku . . 26 June 1964 . 9.
  17. Web site: SPCM 1974. pingat.perak.gov.my. 24 January 2022.
  18. News: Anugerah Sultan Perak kpd Tun Razak juga MB. Berita Harian. 29 August 1964. 2.
  19. News: BRUNEI SULTAN DECORATES KING, RAZAK & RAHMAN . . 26 April 1959 . 7.
  20. News: Brunei ruler honours 7 Malayans. Straits Budget. 1 October 1958. 9.
  21. Web site: Roster of Presidential Awardees under Executive Order 236 . 2 July 2022 . Official Gazette.
  22. News: Tun Razak di-kurnia GCMG oleh Queen . . 24 February 1972 . 10.