Mohamed Noah Omar Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Haji
Mohamed Noah Omar
Native Name:Malay: {{Script|Arab|محمد نوح عمر
Office:1st Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
Primeminister:Tunku Abdul Rahman
Term Start:1 September 1959
Term End:29 February 1964
Predecessor:Office established
Successor:Syed Esa Alwee
Office1:3rd President of the Dewan Negara
Monarch1:Ismail Nasiruddin
Primeminister1:Tunku Abdul Rahman
Term Start1:24 February 1969
Term End1:28 July 1970
Predecessor1:Syed Sheh Hassan Barakbah
Successor1:Abdul Hamid Khan
Office2:Member of the Federation of Malaya / Malaysia Parliament for Johore Bahru Timor
Term Start2:1959
Term End2:1964
Majority2:3,535 (1959)
Predecessor2:Constituency established
Successor2:Fatimah Abdul Majid
Birth Name:Mohamed Noah bin Omar
Birth Date:1897 8, df=yes
Birth Place:Bandar Maharani, Muar, Johor
Death Place:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Resting Place:Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Spouse:Maimun Abdul Manaf
Siti Amirah Kusuma
Children:5 (including Rahah, Suhailah)
Party:United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (1946–1991)
Alma Mater:Syrian Protestant College, Beirut, Lebanon
Relations:Abdul Razak Hussein (son-in-law)
Hussein Onn (son-in-law)
Najib Razak (grandson)
Hishammuddin Hussein (grandson)
Nazir Razak (grandson)
Nazifuddin Najib (great-grandson)
Onn Hafiz Ghazi (great-grandson)

Mohamed Noah bin Omar (Jawi: محمد نوح بن عمر‎; 13 August 1897 – 6 September 1991) was a Malaysian politician. He was one of the leading figures who founded the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and became the party’s first chairperson. He also served as the first Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.

Early life

Noah Omar was born in Bandar Maharani, Muar, Johor on 13 August 1897.[1] He was a descendant of the 17th century Bugis Raja Chempa.[2] His ancestors were the aristocratic Orang Kaya of Muar. He attended the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut, Lebanon, after which he acquired the nickname "Noah Beirut". After returning, he worked as a lorry driver and clerk before joining the Johor civil service.[3]

Noah married twice in a polygamous manner, firstly to Maimun Abdul Manaf (1903–1968) in 1921 until her death and then to Siti Amirah Kusuma (1916–2014). His children from his first marriage are Rahah, the widow of Tun Abdul Razak, who was 2nd Prime Minister from 1970 to 1976, Suhaila, the widow of Tun Hussein Onn, who was 3rd Prime Minister from 1976 to 1981, and Fakhriah who married Abdullah Ahmad, a member of the Johor royal court. Their grandsons, Najib Abdul Razak became the 6th Prime Minister, while Hishamuddin Hussein became a cabinet minister of different portfolios and is one of the leading UMNO leaders since the 1990s.[4] Noah and Siti Amirah had an elder child, Nabiha, who died at a young age.[3] Noah had only one son, Abu Rais, who died at his early age of 40. Siti Amirah Kusuma died on 17 July 2014 in Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) tragedy at Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Career

Politics

Noah was very active in the Malayan nationalist movement along with his contemporaries, Onn Jaafar, Haji Anwar bin Abdul Malik and Haji Syed Alwi bin Syed Sheikh al-Hadi. Together they founded UMNO on 1 May 1946 as a means to rally the Malays against the Malayan Union, which was perceived as threatening Malay privileges and the position of the Malay rulers.

After independence, he became the first Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament between 1959 and 1964. Subsequently, he was President of the Dewan Negara, the upper house, from 1968 to 1970.

Business

Noah together with Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong formed a private company called Genting Highlands Berhad (now Genting Group), which was set up on 27 April 1965 to construct Genting Highlands. Tan Sri Lim successfully obtained approval for the alienation of 12000acres and 2800acres of land from the Pahang and Selangor state governments respectively between the years 1965 and 1970. Its primary hill resort, Resort World Genting is currently Malaysia's only casino and highland resort. A mosque built at the hill station is named after him.

In 1970, Noah was appointed a director of MUI Group. He was appointed Chairman of the Group in 1980.[5]

Death

Noah died on 6 September 1991 in Kuala Lumpur, at the age of 94. He was buried at Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Honours

Foreign honours

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Fawzia Abdullah . The three swans : Fakhriah, Suhailah, Rahah . MPH Publishing . 2010 . 978-967-5222-79-5 . Petaling Jaya, Selangor . 26 . 643766906.
  2. http://www.utusan.com.my/info.asp?y=2012&dt=0617&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_06.htm Siapa Mohamed Noah Omar?
  3. News: Weaving the life stories of 'The Three Swans'. Johan . Jaaffar . 5 June 2010 . . 27.
  4. News: Najib's three beloved 'swans' . . 31 May 2010 . 7 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100809074640/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najibs-three-beloved-swans/ . 9 August 2010 . dead .
  5. News: Sharmini. P.. A man who loved life. New Straits Times. 20 June 2012. 20 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120623064634/http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/a-man-who-loved-life-1.96286. 23 June 2012. dead.
  6. Web site: Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1963..
  7. John Victor Morais, Without Fear Or Favour: A Biography of Tan Sri Mohd. Noah, Utusan Printcorp, Kuala Lumpur, 1976, p. 136.
  8. News: TWO NEW DATOS IN JOHORE HONOURS . . 18 September 1955 . 3.
  9. News: 90 RECEIVE SULTAN'S C-DAY AWARDS . . 12 February 1960 . 2.
  10. News: MALAYA'S SPEAKER HONOURED AT BRUNEI INVESTITURE CEREMONY . . 25 September 1960 . 11.