Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman was a Malaysian statesman and lawyer who served as the first Prime Minister of Malaysia and the head of government of its predecessor states from 1955 to 1970. He was the first chief minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957. He was the son of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, the 26th ruler of the Kedah Sultanate. He studied law and history at Cambridge University and was called to the bar from the Inner Temple in 1928. He returned to Malaya and held various posts in the civil service. He became the ruler of Negri Sembilan in 1933 after the death of his father. He joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in 1946 and became its president in 1951. He formed an alliance with the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) to contest the 1955 general election, which his coalition won by a landslide. He became the chief minister and home minister of Malaya and led the negotiations for Malayan independence from the British. He declared Malaya's independence on 31 August 1957 and became the first prime minister of the newly independent country. He also served as the foreign minister and the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. He was instrumental in the formation of Malaysia, a federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah, in 1963. He faced many political challenges, such as the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, the Singaporean secession, the Brunei revolt, and the racial riots of 1969. He resigned as prime minister in 1970 and was succeeded by his deputy, Abdul Razak Hussein. He remained active in politics and sports until his death in 1990. He is widely regarded as Malaysia's "founding father" and is hailed for his pivotal leadership role in the formation of Malaysia. He was also an avid sportsman who supported many sporting events and initiated the Pestabola Merdeka (Independence Football Festival) in 1957. He was married four times and had seven children. He died of a lung infection at the age of 87 and was buried at the Kedah Royal Mausoleum.