Ismail Abdul Rahman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman (November 4, 1915 - August 2, 1973) was a Malaysian politician from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He held several Malaysian ministerial posts and was appointed as the second Deputy Prime Minister in 1970 by then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. Three years later, Tun Dr Ismail died in office due to a heart attack.

[edit] Education

Born in Johor Bahru, Ismail Abdul Rahman received his primary education as Sekolah Bukit Zaharah. Later, he was accepted in English College of Johor Bahru. After graduation, he went on to obtain a degree at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. In 1945, he became the first Malay to obtain a MD from University of Melbourne, Australia.

[edit] Politics

He entered Malaysian politics in 1951 when he was elected as vice president of United Malays National Organization. After serving various offices during colonial period before Malayan independence in 1957, he was appointed as Malaya and Malaysia's first ambassador to the United States of America. He held the post from 1957 till 1959.

Upon returning to Malaya, he rose up the local political ladder fast. First, he was made external affairs minister. Then, he became the minister of internal security and finally home affairs minister before resigning in 1967, citing health as a reason. After a major race riot in 1969, (May 13 Incident), he was recalled into the government. In 1970, he was appointed as Malaysian second Deputy Prime Minister. In 1973, he died due to a severe heart attack while in office. He is buried in Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. He is the first leader to be laid to rest there.