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Allahyarham Tun Datuk Seri Utama Abdul Ghafar bin Baba (Jawi: عبدالغفار بن باب; 18 February 1925 – 23 April 2006) was a Malaysian politician who served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1986 to 1993.
Abdul Ghafar Baba | |
|---|---|
| عبدالغفار باب | |
 | |
| 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia | |
| In office 10 May 1986 – 15 October 1993 | |
| Monarchs | Iskandar Azlan Shah |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Preceded by | Musa Hitam |
| Succeeded by | Anwar Ibrahim |
| Constituency | Jasin |
| Minister of Rural Development (Minister of National and Rural Development: 23 September 1970 – 11 May 1972, 11 August 1986 – 20 May 1987) (Minister of Rural Economy Development: 11 May 1972 – 25 August 1974) | |
| In office 11 August 1986 – 1 December 1993 | |
| Monarchs | Iskandar Azlan Shah |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Deputy | Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali (1986–1990) Ng Cheng Kuai (1986–1987) Mohd. Yasin Kamari (1990–1993) |
| Preceded by | Sanusi Junid |
| Succeeded by | Annuar Musa |
| Constituency | Jasin |
| In office 22 December 1970 – 4 September 1974 | |
| Monarch | Abdul Halim |
| Prime Minister | Abdul Razak Hussein |
| Assistant Minister | Abdul Samad Idris (1970–1973) |
| Preceded by | Abdul Razak Hussein |
| Succeeded by | Himself as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development |
| Constituency | Malacca Utara |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development | |
| In office 5 September 1974 – 14 January 1976 | |
| Monarchs | Abdul Halim Yahya Petra |
| Prime Minister | Abdul Razak Hussein |
| Deputy | Mokhtar Hashim (1974–1975) Mustapha Abdul Jabar (1975–1976) |
| Preceded by | Himself (Rural Development) Mohamed Ghazali Jawi (Agriculture) |
| Succeeded by | Ali Ahmad |
| Constituency | Alor Gajah |
| 2nd Chief Minister of Malacca | |
| In office 1 June 1959 – 5 October 1967 | |
| Governor | Leong Yew Koh Abdul Malek Yusuf |
| Preceded by | Osman Talib |
| Succeeded by | Talib Karim |
| Constituency | Tanjong Kling |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 February 1925 Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 23 April 2006 (aged 81) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Resting place | Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur |
| Political party |  United Malays National Organisation |
| Other political affiliations |  Alliance PartyBarisan Nasional (BN) |
| Spouse(s) | Asmah Alang Dayang Heryati Abdul Rahim |
| Relations | Abdul Aziz Jaafar (son-in-law) Ahmad Hamzah (son-in-law) Zahid Arip (grandson) |
| Children | |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Life and career
editHe was born on 18 February 1925 in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, the son of impoverished villagers from Malacca state who emigrated as pastoral nomads, namely Baba Abdullah from Sungai Udang and his wife, Saodah Salleh from Bemban. Ghafar Baba became a teacher and later became a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) political party, which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition.
In 1943, he married Toh Puan Asmah Binti Alang (1927–2004) and they had twelve children, three of whom he outlived. In the early 1990s, he polygamously married his second wife, Toh Puan Heryati Abdul Rahim, with whom he had one child, and divorced in 2003.
In 1986, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Previously, Musa Hitam held the deputy premiership but resigned, citing irreconcilable differences with Mahathir.[1] On 15 October 1993, during a UMNO election, he was challenged by Anwar Ibrahim. Ghafar Baba was defeated by Anwar and subsequently lost the deputy premiership.
He died on 23 April 2006, at Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur due to cardiopulmonary complications. He had been in critical condition for several months prior to his death. He was buried the same day in an official state funeral at Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.[2][3]
Posts
edit- Teachers' Union secretary (1946–1948)
- Melaka UMNO Secretary (1951)
- Melaka UMNO Chairman (1957)
- Chief Minister of Malacca (1959–1967)
- UMNO Supreme Working Council member (1957)
- UMNO Information chief (1959)
- UMNO Vice President (1962–1987)
- Barisan Nasional Secretary-General[1]
- Federal Territories Barisan Nasional liaison chief[1]
- Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President (1986–1993)
Election results
edit| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | P087 Malacca Utara, Malacca | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 15,692 | 63.86% | Ali Md. Salleh (PAS) | 8,881 | 36.14% | 26,088 | 6,811 | 78.49% | ||
| 1974 | P095 Alor Gajah, Malacca | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 20,890 | 78.89% | Abdul Ghani Long (PEKEMAS) | 5,591 | 21.11% | N/A | 15,299 | N/A | ||
| 1978 | P096 Jasin, Malacca | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | N/A | N/A | Abdul Karim Abu (DAP) | N/A | N/A | N/A | 12,067 | N/A | ||
| 1982 | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 27,542 | 81.07% | Salleh Ayob (PAS) | 6,432 | 18.93% | 35,657 | 21,110 | 76.54% | |||
| 1986 | P114 Jasin, Malacca | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 20,772 | 76.35% | Rahimin Bani (PAS) | 6,436 | 23.65% | 28,200 | 14,336 | 71.21% | ||
| 1990 | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 22,826 | 72.46% | Aris Konil (S46) | 8,674 | 27.54% | 32,519 | 14,152 | 77.93% | |||
| 1995 | P124 Jasin, Malacca | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 25,693 | 78.19% | Ahmad Mohd Alim (PAS) | 4,856 | 14.78% | 34,181 | 20,837 | 75.80% | ||
| Aris Konil (S46) | 2,310 | 7.03% | ||||||||||
| 1999 | P122 Batu Berendam, Malacca | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 37,656 | 55.36% | Khalid Jaafar (KeADILan) | 30,368 | 44.64% | 69,592 | 7,288 | 78.82% | ||
Honours
editHonours of Malaysia
edit
Malaysia:
Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)
Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (1995)[4][5]
Federal Territory (Malaysia):
Grand Knight of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SUMW) – Datuk Seri Utama (2017–posthumously)[6]
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Foreign honours
edit
Soviet Union:
- Jubilee Medal of Moscow (1966)[7]
Places named after him
edit
Several places were named after him, including:
- Persiaran Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba, a major road at Peringgit, Malacca.
- Persimpangan Tun Abdul Ghafar, an intersections between Jalan Batu Berendam, Persiaran Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba and Lebuh Ayer Keroh at Peringgit, Malacca.
- The Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba Memorial, a memorial and museum in honour of his achievements located at Persiaran Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba in Peringgit, Malacca.
- MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba a MARA institution boarding school at Jasin, Malacca.
- SMK Ghafar Baba (formerly SMK Masjid Tanah), a secondary school at Masjid Tanah, Malacca.
- Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba Mosque, Sungai Udang, Malacca.
- Six FELDA settlements were renamed after him, they are FELDA Tun Ghafar Machap, FELDA Tun Ghafar Hutan Percha, FELDA Tun Ghafar Menggong, FELDA Tun Ghafar Kemendor, FELDA Tun Ghafar Air Kangkong and FELDA Tun Ghafar Bukit Senggeh.
- Kolej Tun Ghafar Baba, a residential college at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kuala Perlis, Perlis
- Kolej Tun Ghafar Baba, a residential college at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor
Notes and references
edit- ^ a b c Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra (1986). Political Awakening, p. 86. Pelanduk Publications. ISBN 967-978-136-4.
- ^ "PM hails a humble leader". www.thestar.com.my. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Funeral with full honours". thestar.com.my. Archived from the original on 13 May 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1995" (PDF).
- ^ "Ghafar made Tun in King's honours list". New Straits Times. 3 June 1995. p. 1.
- ^ "Late Tun Ghafar bestowed 'Datuk Seri Utama' title in conjunction with FT Day". New Straits Times. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Moscow Medal award". The Straits Times. 23 December 1966. p. 7.
