Abdul Rahman Ya'kub
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Tun Datuk Patinggi
Haji Abdul Rahman bin Ya'kub (born 3 January 1928) is a Malaysian politician of Melanau
descent from Mukah
. He was the third Chief Minister of Sarawak
and the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak
(Governor of Sarawak). He is also an uncle of Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
, the current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He graduated from the University of Southampton
in the United Kingdom as a trained lawyer and worked as the Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Sarawak Legal Department from 1959 to 1963.
, who is also her daughter, is a Malaysian Member of Parliament for the Tanjung Manis constituency. He then later married Toh Puan Siti Maemunah.
, Sarawak
to a fisherman by the name of Tuan Wan Ya'kub bin Wan Yusuf and Siti Hajar binti Haji Mohd. Tahir who was a housewife. He first attended a Malay school and then the Sekolah Anchi in Miri
. His father, who wished that Rahman Ya'kub be given an Islamic education, attempted to send him to the Al-Juned Arabic School in 1939, a decision that was opposed by his mother due to the outbreak of World War II. He then transferred to St. Joseph Miri, but his studies was cut short by the Japanese invasion. At a young age, he learnt the Japanese martial art Aikido and was able to also meet Morihei Ueshiba
, the founder of Aikido
.
He worked as an oil-tester for the Sarawak Shell
Company and a school teacher before being accepted as a Native Officer in the Sarawak Civil Service in 1948. He was the first Bumiputera from Sarawak that graduated as a lawyer in 1958 from Lincoln's Inn.
, Tunku Abdul Rahman
brought Rahman Ya'kub into politics while the second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak mentor him. Rahman was the deputy Lands and Mines Minister in the 1960s. He was an education minister before he returned to Sarawak to become the chief minister in 1970. He made a bold move by changing the medium of instruction for all the schools and higher learning institutions from English to the Malay language. He is also credited for the creation of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1970.
He was one of the people who proposed that Malaysia should create their own oil company, now known is Petronas. Rahman Ya'kub also founded the now defunct Bank Utama Berhad in Malaysia.
in 1970, representing Parti Bumiputera Sarawak (BUMIPUTERA), which was part of the Sarawak Alliance. After the election, there was not any party holding a clear majority. However, he was able to convince SUPP to form a coalition government with him as the chief minister. He was called by Tun Abdul Razak to tackle the communist insurgency in Sarawak.
Rahman Ya'kub was known for controlling the logging industry in Sarawak. A case study in Belaga
district revealed that the shares of the Lembahan Mewah timber licence was 70% owned by his daughters while the remaining 30% of shares was owned by the wife of Datuk Tajang Laing, the state assemblyman for Belaga district. Rahman quit as chief minister after undergoing heart surgery in London in 1981.
Operation initiated by Rahman Ya'kub.
. He left his chief minister post to his nephew, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
. However, Rahman Ya'kub retained his influence over the state's principal levers of patronage such as land development permits, government contracts, and timber licenses. He later quit his post as the governor of Sarawak in 1985 due to health reasons.
port in 1983. In 1985, Rahman Ya'kub was involved in a bitter dispute with his nephew, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
over allocation rights. In 1987, Rahman Ya'kub formed a new party named Parti Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak
(PERMAS) in order to challenge Taib Mahmud at the polls. He also formed an alliance with Sarawak Dayak People's Party (PBDS) in order to unseat Taib Mahmud. In March 1987, 27 of the 48 state assemblymen suddenly directed their support to Rahman Ya'kub while calling Taib Mahmud to resign as a chief minister. Among the defectors were Taib's 4 cabinet ministers and 3 assistant ministers. A war of accusations on timber concessionaires then broke out between Rahman Ya'kub and Taib Mahmud. Taib Mahmud revoked 30 timber licenses held by his defectors and Rahman's clients. Taib then accused Rahman for awarding 1.25 million hectares of logging concessions worth RM 22.5 billion to Rahman himself and his relatives. Rahman Ya'kub, in return, revealed a list of timber concessions covering 1.6 million hectares held by Taib's clients and family. Despite the unsuccessful attempt at the 1987 Sarawak state election, Rahman continued his struggle with his allies, Sarawak Dayak People's Party against Taib's led Sarawak Barisan Nasional
until 1991 Sarawak state election
when Taib's coalition won an overwhelming majority of 49 out of 56 seats in the state assembly.
in 2008. During the grand ceremony, he hugged his nephew, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
, marking the end of the 20-year-old strained relationship between an uncle and a nephew after the Ming Court Affair. He said that he already stitch up his relationship with Taib because "blood is thicker than water". He is now active in religious activities as he conducts free religious classes for the public at his residence, "Sri Bahagia", in Petra Jaya.
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Haji Abdul Rahman bin Ya'kub (born 3 January 1928) is a Malaysian politician of Melanau
Melanau
The Melanau are a people who live on the island of Borneo, primarily in Sarawak, Malaysia, but also in Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak, and speak a Northwest Malayo-Polynesian language .-Origins:...
descent from Mukah
Mukah
Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia, is a coastal town which serves as the administrative center of the Mukah District in Mukah Division, Sarawak. It is located by the South China Sea, about 2.5 hours by road from the town of Sibu. Mukah is also accessible by air by MASwings from Kuching and Miri. The...
. He was the third Chief Minister of Sarawak
Chief Minister of Sarawak
The Chief Minister of Sarawak is the head of the executive branch of the state government in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri from the State Legislative Assembly....
and the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak
Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak
The Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak is the title of the largely symbolic state Governor of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, who is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or King of Malaysia....
(Governor of Sarawak). He is also an uncle of Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
Abdul Taib Mahmud
Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud is the fourth and current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He is also the state Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister. Taib is the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu , which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition...
, the current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He graduated from the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
in the United Kingdom as a trained lawyer and worked as the Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Sarawak Legal Department from 1959 to 1963.
Family
Rahman's first wife, Toh Puan Normah died in 1984. Rahman's daughter, Khadijah, later married to Tun Abdul Razak's son, Datuk Mohd Nizam. Datuk Norah Abdul RahmanNorah Abdul Rahman
Datuk Norah Abdul Rahman is a Malaysian politician. She is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Tanjong Manis constituency in Sarawak, representing the United Traditional Bumiputera Party in the governing Barisan Nasional coalition. She is the daughter of former Sarawak Chief...
, who is also her daughter, is a Malaysian Member of Parliament for the Tanjung Manis constituency. He then later married Toh Puan Siti Maemunah.
Interest & ventures
Rahman Ya'kub was very active in sports during his school days, especially football (soccer). In the later years of his life he also enjoyed playing golf. Rahman is a very religious man and loves reading religious books on Islam. He even conduct free-religious classes for the public after leaving active politics in 1985.Early life and career
Rahman Ya'kub was born in the village of Kampung Jepak, BintuluBintulu
Bintulu is a coastal town, and the capital of Bintulu District in the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is about 650 kilometers from Kuching and about 215 kilometers from either Sibu or Miri....
, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
to a fisherman by the name of Tuan Wan Ya'kub bin Wan Yusuf and Siti Hajar binti Haji Mohd. Tahir who was a housewife. He first attended a Malay school and then the Sekolah Anchi in Miri
Miri
Miri is a city in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It is the second largest city in Sarawak, with a population of about 300,000, and the government administrative centre of Miri District in Miri Division....
. His father, who wished that Rahman Ya'kub be given an Islamic education, attempted to send him to the Al-Juned Arabic School in 1939, a decision that was opposed by his mother due to the outbreak of World War II. He then transferred to St. Joseph Miri, but his studies was cut short by the Japanese invasion. At a young age, he learnt the Japanese martial art Aikido and was able to also meet Morihei Ueshiba
Morihei Ueshiba
was a famous martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher".-Early years:Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan on December 14, 1883....
, the founder of Aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
.
He worked as an oil-tester for the Sarawak Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
Company and a school teacher before being accepted as a Native Officer in the Sarawak Civil Service in 1948. He was the first Bumiputera from Sarawak that graduated as a lawyer in 1958 from Lincoln's Inn.
Early political career
The first Prime Minister of MalaysiaPrime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
, Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...
brought Rahman Ya'kub into politics while the second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak mentor him. Rahman was the deputy Lands and Mines Minister in the 1960s. He was an education minister before he returned to Sarawak to become the chief minister in 1970. He made a bold move by changing the medium of instruction for all the schools and higher learning institutions from English to the Malay language. He is also credited for the creation of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1970.
He was one of the people who proposed that Malaysia should create their own oil company, now known is Petronas. Rahman Ya'kub also founded the now defunct Bank Utama Berhad in Malaysia.
Tenure in office as Chief Minister
He won the Kuala Rajang state constituency during the resumption of 1969 state electionSarawak state election, 1969
The first Sarawak state election was held from 10 May 1969 and scheduled to be completed on 7 June 1969 which lasted for 4 weeks and was carried out in staggered basis. This was due to the lack of transportation and communication systems in the state at that time...
in 1970, representing Parti Bumiputera Sarawak (BUMIPUTERA), which was part of the Sarawak Alliance. After the election, there was not any party holding a clear majority. However, he was able to convince SUPP to form a coalition government with him as the chief minister. He was called by Tun Abdul Razak to tackle the communist insurgency in Sarawak.
Rahman Ya'kub was known for controlling the logging industry in Sarawak. A case study in Belaga
Belaga, Sarawak
Belaga is the capital of the Belaga District in the Kapit Division of Sarawak in east Malaysia. It is located on the upper reaches of the Rajang River, some 120 kilometers northeast of Kapit as the crow flies but considerably further on the river and slightly less than 100 kilometers...
district revealed that the shares of the Lembahan Mewah timber licence was 70% owned by his daughters while the remaining 30% of shares was owned by the wife of Datuk Tajang Laing, the state assemblyman for Belaga district. Rahman quit as chief minister after undergoing heart surgery in London in 1981.
The Sri Aman Operation in 1974
Peace was restored in Sarawak when Bong Kee Chok, the former leader of Parti Rakyat Kalimantan Utara, together with 482 communist guerillas surrendered their arms in 1974 after the Sri AmanSri Aman
Sri Aman is a market town and port, and the capital of Sri Aman District and Sri Aman Division in Sarawak, east Malaysia.Sri Aman is also called Bandar Sri Aman, and was formerly known as Simanggang. Sri Aman in the Malay language means "town of peace ." Located on the Lupar River, it is...
Operation initiated by Rahman Ya'kub.
Tenure in office as the Governor of Sarawak
In 1981, he resigned his post as the Chief Minister and became the Governor of SarawakYang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak
The Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak is the title of the largely symbolic state Governor of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, who is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or King of Malaysia....
. He left his chief minister post to his nephew, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
Abdul Taib Mahmud
Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud is the fourth and current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He is also the state Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister. Taib is the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu , which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition...
. However, Rahman Ya'kub retained his influence over the state's principal levers of patronage such as land development permits, government contracts, and timber licenses. He later quit his post as the governor of Sarawak in 1985 due to health reasons.
The Ming Court Affair in 1987
This political crisis already started brewing when Rahman Ya'kub was the governor of Sarawak. He criticised his nephew in a speech at a ceremony of opening of BintuluBintulu
Bintulu is a coastal town, and the capital of Bintulu District in the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is about 650 kilometers from Kuching and about 215 kilometers from either Sibu or Miri....
port in 1983. In 1985, Rahman Ya'kub was involved in a bitter dispute with his nephew, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
Abdul Taib Mahmud
Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud is the fourth and current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He is also the state Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister. Taib is the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu , which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition...
over allocation rights. In 1987, Rahman Ya'kub formed a new party named Parti Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak
Sarawak Malaysian People's Association
Sarawak Malaysian People's Association or Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak is now a defunct Malaysian political party based in Sarawak.The party itself was formed in 1987,during the infamous "Ming Court Affair",by a faction dissatisfied with the Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud,led by none other...
(PERMAS) in order to challenge Taib Mahmud at the polls. He also formed an alliance with Sarawak Dayak People's Party (PBDS) in order to unseat Taib Mahmud. In March 1987, 27 of the 48 state assemblymen suddenly directed their support to Rahman Ya'kub while calling Taib Mahmud to resign as a chief minister. Among the defectors were Taib's 4 cabinet ministers and 3 assistant ministers. A war of accusations on timber concessionaires then broke out between Rahman Ya'kub and Taib Mahmud. Taib Mahmud revoked 30 timber licenses held by his defectors and Rahman's clients. Taib then accused Rahman for awarding 1.25 million hectares of logging concessions worth RM 22.5 billion to Rahman himself and his relatives. Rahman Ya'kub, in return, revealed a list of timber concessions covering 1.6 million hectares held by Taib's clients and family. Despite the unsuccessful attempt at the 1987 Sarawak state election, Rahman continued his struggle with his allies, Sarawak Dayak People's Party against Taib's led Sarawak Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
until 1991 Sarawak state election
Sarawak state election, 1991
The sixth Sarawak state election commenced from 27 to 28 September 1991. This election functioned to elect 56 state representatives into the Sarawak State Assembly...
when Taib's coalition won an overwhelming majority of 49 out of 56 seats in the state assembly.
Later life
Rahman celebrated his 80th birthday in Hilton Hotel, KuchingKuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
in 2008. During the grand ceremony, he hugged his nephew, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
Abdul Taib Mahmud
Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud is the fourth and current Chief Minister of Sarawak. He is also the state Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister. Taib is the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu , which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition...
, marking the end of the 20-year-old strained relationship between an uncle and a nephew after the Ming Court Affair. He said that he already stitch up his relationship with Taib because "blood is thicker than water". He is now active in religious activities as he conducts free religious classes for the public at his residence, "Sri Bahagia", in Petra Jaya.
External links
Citations
- Suhaimi Mokhtar, Putera Kenyalang: Satu Dekad Penuh Cabaran, 1981.