Onn Jaafar

Onn Jaafar was born on 12 February 1895 in Bukit Gambir, Johor Bahru, Johor. He was the son of Jaafar Muhammad, the former Chief Minister of Johor, and Roquaiya Hanim, who came from the Caucasus region of the Ottoman Empire. He had close relations with the Johor palace, as Sultan Ibrahim treated him as an adopted son. He started his education in a Malay school in Johor Bahru, and then went to England to attend Aldeburgh Lodge School, a private school in Suffolk, with the then Tunku Mahkota of Johor until 1910. He returned to Malaya and served as a government officer in Johor for a while, before turning to journalism. He edited two Malay newspapers, the Lembaga Malayu and the Warta Malaya, the first independent Malay daily. He also wrote several books and articles on Malay culture, history, and politics. After World War II, he became extremely active in Malayan politics. He opposed the British plan to create the Malayan Union, which would transfer political power from the Malay sultans to a central government in Kuala Lumpur and grant equal rights to all people in Malaya, regardless of race or religion. He feared that this would lead to the domination of the economically powerful Chinese and Indians and the extinction of the Malay race. He convened a meeting of more than 40 Malay organizations in March 1946 to protest against the union, and founded the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a political party representing purely Malay interests. He became the first President of UMNO and led the campaign to boycott the Malayan Union. He also established the Rural Industrial Development Authority (RIDA) to improve the social and economic welfare of the Malays. In 1947, he was appointed as the Menteri Besar (Prime Minister) of Johor by the sultan, and in 1948, he became the Member for Home Affairs for the Federation of Malaya, which replaced the Malayan Union. He was instrumental in the negotiations for the Federation Agreement, which granted more autonomy and representation to the Malays, and paved the way for the eventual independence of Malaya. He also advocated for a closer cooperation with the other races in Malaya, especially the Chinese and Indians, and proposed to open up UMNO membership to them. However, his proposal was rejected by the majority of UMNO members, who wanted to maintain the exclusivity of the party. He resigned from UMNO in 1951 and formed two new political parties, the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP) and the National Party (Parti Negara), which were more multiracial and moderate. However, neither party gained much popular support against the Alliance Party, which was formed by Tunku Abdul Rahman, his successor as UMNO President, and other leaders of the Chinese and Indian parties. He was eclipsed from Malayan political life and retired from active politics in 1959. He died of a heart attack on 19 January 1962 in Johor Bahru, Johor. He was buried at the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum. He was survived by his three wives and 12 children, one of whom, Hussein Onn, became the third Prime Minister of Malaysia. He was also the grandfather of Hishammuddin Hussein, a senior UMNO politician, and the great-grandfather of Onn Hafiz Ghazi, the current Menteri Besar of Johor. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of organised anti-imperialism and early Malay nationalism in Malaya, and one of the founding fathers of the nation.