Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman (Jawi: تونكو عبد الرحمن; 8 February 1903 – 6 December 1990), widely known simply as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as the first prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 until 1970. He was also the only chief minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957, president of UMNO from 1951 to 1971, and leader of the Alliance Party from 1952 to 1971. As the leading advocate for self-governance, Tunku was central to the Malayan Declaration of Independence and the creation of Malaysia in 1963. He is widely recognised as the country's founding father and remains its second longest-serving prime minister.

A prince of the Kedah Sultanate, Tunku studied in Malaya and later graduated from St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Upon returning, he joined the colonial civil service, serving as district officer before becoming a public prosecutor in 1949. He entered politics by winning the UMNO leadership election in 1951 and formed the Alliance Party with the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysian Indian Congress the following year. Alliance won a landslide victory in the 1955 general election, after which Tunku became chief minister. He unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate an end to the Malayan Emergency through the Baling Talks, but successfully secured independence for Malaya through the Treaty of London in 1956. He proclaimed independence in 1957 and won a fresh mandate in the 1959 general election, before overseeing the formation of Malaysia in 1963, which included Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. He led the Alliance to another victory in 1964 but was increasingly troubled by ethnic tensions, particularly due to the worsening relationship with Singapore.

In 1965, following mutual provocations between UMNO and the People's Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew, he resolved to expel Singapore from the federation, formalised through the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965, with full separation taking effect on 9 August 1965. He won a fourth term in the 1969 general election, but the Alliance’s reduced majority was followed by violent unrest during the 13 May incident, prompting a national emergency. Tunku stepped down as prime minister in 1970 and was succeeded by Abdul Razak Hussein. In retirement, he remained active in sports and international Islamic affairs, serving as president of the Asian Football Confederation and as the first secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. He died in Kuala Lumpur on 6 December 1990, aged 87.