Tunku Abdul Rahman

As we all know we have just celebrated our 50th Malaysia's Independence Day. Many people had contributed to our independence, and of them is Tunku Abdul Rahman...

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah was born on 8th Febuary 1903 in Istana Pelamin, Alor Setar, Kedah. He was the 14th son and the 20th child of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah. His mother, Cik Menjalara, was the Sultan's sixth wife and the daughter of Siamese nobleman, Luang Naraborirak, a Thai district officer during the reign of King Rama V of Thailand.

He began his education in 1909 at a Malay Primary School in Alor Setar and was later transferred to the Government English School. When he was eight, he was sent to study at Debsirin School in Bangkok, along with his three brothers. In 1915, he returned and studied at Penang Free School. In 1918, he was awarded a Kedah State Scholarship to further his studies at St Catherine's college in the University of Cambridge. There, he obtained his Bachlelor of Arts degree.

When he returned to Malaya, he worked in the Kedah public service and was appointed as the District Officer of Kulim and Sungai Petani. Some time later, he returned to England to complete his law studies at the Inner Temple, but his studies came to a halt because of the outbreak of World War II. He resumed his studies in 1947 and in 1949, he qualified for the Bar. After his return to Malaya in 1949, Tunku Abdul Rahman was first posted at the Legal Officer's office in Alor Star. He later asked to be transferred to Kuala Lumpur, where he became a Deputy Public Prosecutor. He was later appointed as president of the Sessions Court.

He has achieved many things in his life, so now I'm going to talk about some of his achievements. In 1955 he led a delegation to London to seek independence for Malaya, but failed. In 1957 he went again to London to negotiate Malayan independence and thus 31st August 1957 was the decided date for our independence.

One of his greatest achievements was the formation of Malaysia in 1963. He also established the Islamic Welfare Organisation (PERKIM), helped to set up Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) - he was appointed as the first Secretary General. As an avid sportsman, he initiated an international football tournament, the Pestabola Merdeka in 1957.

In his later years, Abdul Rahman lived in his house in Penang. The Tunku died on 6 December 1990 at the age of eighty-seven, and was laid to rest at the Langgar Royal Mausoleum in Alor Star.