| Honorific-Prefix: | Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri |
| Honorific-Suffix: | PSM SSAP SJMK DGPN PNBS DSAP DPMK ADK |
| Abdullah Ahmad | |
| Birth Date: | 4 July 1933 |
| Birth Place: | Machang, Kelantan, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Death Place: | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Office: | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department |
| Term Start: | 1974 |
| Term End: | 1976 |
| Constituency Mp2: | Machang |
| Parliament2: | Malaysian |
| Term Start2: | 1974 |
| Term End2: | 1978 |
| Predecessor2: | constituency created |
| Successor2: | Mohd Kassim @ Yahya Ahmad |
| Party: | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) |
| Occupation: | Academic, politician, writer |
| Spouse: | Fauzah Mohamad Darus |
Tan Sri Abdullah bin Ahmad (4 July 1937 – 12 June 2016)[1] [2] was a Malaysian journalist and politician from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Alumni of Sultan Ismail College, Kota Bharu, Kelantan and at one time, he was the editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times. Abdullah Ahmad held significant influence during the administrations of Abdul Razak Hussein and Mahathir Mohamad.
On 12 November 2003, he wrote an article criticising Saudi Arabian policies that aided the United States invasion of Iraq, among other things. As a result, the Saudi government reduced Malaysian quota for haj.[3] On 21 November of the same year, he "was fired without warning by the daily's management at the request of the ruling UMNO party following a complaint by the Saudi ambassador in Malaysia." UMNO, which is part of the ruling government and holding equity in the papers later stated that he had jeopardised Malaysia's close relationship with Saudi Arabia. He had a contract that was supposed to expire in October 2004.[4]
Ahmad died on 12 June 2016, after battling cancer. He was 79.[5] [6] His body was brought back to his hometown in, Kelantan.[7]
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | P024 Machang, Kelantan | Abdullah Ahmad (UMNO) | 13,183 | 71.80% | Mohamed Yusoff Mohamed Nor (IND) | 5,177 | 28.20% | 19,156 | 8,006 | 75.46% | |||||