By M Santhananaban
It is important to remember Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 1903- 6 December 1990), not only on his birthday on 8 February, but on most national occasions.
He was, I believe, the greatest Malaysian for most of his generation and the succeeding generation.
His innate spirit of inclusiveness and his impeccable integrity were commendable. So too his willingness to embrace Malaysia’s rich diversity.
His instinctive capacity to trust and empower his cabinet colleagues and associates was unique.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
Most of all, he was a gentleman who epitomised correctness and courteousness with his magnanimity, mannerly quality and sense of humour.
In his heart of hearts, he respected the position of the Malay rulers in the country’s administrative hierarchy, the supreme authority of the Constitution and the role of Islam as the nation’s official religion. This helped in the creation of a harmonious, plural society.
Most of all, he knew the vital importance of national unity and social cohesiveness. He recognised how sports could bring people together and encouraged participation in badminton, basketball and football.
To his great advantage, he had an extraordinary set of cabinet colleagues including Razak Hussein, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman, Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, VT Sambanthan, Tan Siew Sin and Khir Johari.
The staff in his small prime minister’s office comprised people of diverse backgrounds.
Given these assets, his affability and other positive attributes, the Tunku was able to persuade the leaders of Sabah and Sarawak (and Singapore) to form Malaysia in 1963.
In August 1951, the Tunku accepted the leadership of Umno and for the next six years, he set about organising the country for independence.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Umno was largely a Johor- based organisation, as its key founder was the Johor-born Onn Jaafar.
Johor Bahru became the Tunku’s home base for a while. From there, he would often meet academics, professionals, diplomats, news people and British officials based in Singapore. Given Singapore’s strategic geopolitical position along busy shipping and trade routes, a notably large consular and business community resided there.
In the post-World War Two period, most of Asia was in ferment with feisty nationalistic movements in various countries. Singapore itself was a hive of intelligence activity, an oasis for sojourners, spies, serious journalists and traders.
That exposure and immersion in this busy diplomatic centre enabled the Tunku, then in his late 40s, to gain a profound knowledge of the direction of the wider Asian region, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In Singapore, the Tunku also had the opportunity to meet freedom fighters, diplomats, sports officials, journalists and other aspiring political activists.
He got to know two men in particular. One of them was Wee Kim Wee, the then chief of an international news agency (and later president of Singapore). The other was Mohamad Razif, the then Indonesian consul general in Singapore and later, ambassador to Malaya. These two provide an indication of the eclectic company the Tunku kept.
The Tunku’s many short visits to Singapore must be seen in the context of his background. Raised as a son of a Kedah sultan, he also had a stint in Bangkok with his brother Tunku Yusuf and an extended stay in the UK. He had a keen interest in football, sports and charity organisations, golf and horse racing.
Even in those early years, the Tunku had friends and acquaintances from the Arab world, South Asia and East Asia. With such broad exposure, he was unmatched by his peers. But he readily acknowledged his flaws.
International diplomacy
In South Korea and Hong Kong, older Muslims remembered the Tunku for his welfare work long before Malaysia had any formal representation there.
His extensive experience and exposure to diverse company enabled the Tunku to set up a first-rate diplomatic service for the country from 1956.
The young nation’s pioneer diplomats, mostly graduates of the University of Malaya (then in Singapore), were sent to be trained in London, Canberra, New Delhi, Bangkok and other capitals. Senior ambassador posts were filled by political associates, senior civil servants and qualified royals.
By 1960, the country had a resident diplomatic presence in major cities like Bangkok, Cairo, London, New York, Paris, Tokyo and Washington DC. Closer to home, it also had a presence in Canberra, Jakarta, Karachi, Manila, New Delhi and Rangoon. The young nation was also represented through consulates in Chennai, Medan and Songkhla.
By 1960 as well, Malaya had gained a sense of self-assurance with the ending of an “emergency” following a 12-year-long communist insurgency.
Malaya also deployed a fairly large contingent of Malayan Armed Forces personnel to a UN-directed peacekeeping operation in Congo.
Creating a capital for the federation
In planning a refurbished capital to satisfy the demands of a newly independent nation, the Tunku helped to select sites for the Merdeka Stadium, the National Mosque, Parliament House and the airport in Subang.
A UN expert who was advising the fledgling government on town planning in the late 1950s wanted the national mosque to be located on an elevated site in the Lake Gardens area. But the Tunku prevailed in selecting a site near the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, so that Muslim train users could easily walk to the mosque for their prayers.
This was explained by the architect, Hisham Albakri (on page 166) in the Merdeka Interviews. (These interviews were conducted by Lai Chee Kian and Ang Chee Cheng in their excellent book published by Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia in 2018. The other architect involved in that national project was Baharuddin Kassim.)
The National Mosque was designed as a Malaysian edifice rather than a Middle Eastern one to reflect a modernising nation in the heart of Southeast Asia.
The Tunku always had a modest, dignified but self-effacing quality about himself. In the three-and-a-half decades since his passing, there is perhaps far too little appreciation and understanding of the crucial role he played in the 1950s and 60s.
Dato M Santhananaban is a retired ambassador with more than 45 years of public sector experience.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
