Rafidah Aziz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri Rafidah Aziz PMN SPMP SPMT PNBS DGSM DPMS AMN
رفيدة بنت عزيز‎
Rafidah in 2007
Minister of International Trade and Industry
In office 27 October 1990 – 18 March 2008
Monarch	Azlan Shah Ja'afar Salahuddin Sirajuddin Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy	Chua Jui Meng (1990–1995) Kerk Choo Ting (1995–2004) Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (2004–2008) Mah Siew Keong (2004–2006) Ng Lip Yong (2006–2008)
Preceded by	Herself as Minister of Trade and Industry
Succeeded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
Constituency	Kuala Kangsar
Minister of Trade and Industry
In office 20 May 1987 – 26 October 1990
Monarch	Iskandar Azlan Shah
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Kok Wee Kiat
Preceded by	Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Succeeded by	Herself (International Trade and Industry) Sulaiman Daud (Domestic Trade)
Constituency	Kuala Kangsar
Minister of Public Enterprises
In office 29 July 1980 – 20 May 1987
Monarch	Ahmad Shah Iskandar
Prime Minister	Hussein Onn Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Daud Taha (1986–1987)
Preceded by	Abdul Manan Othman
Succeeded by	Napsiah Omar
Constituency	Selayang Kuala Kangsar
Women Chief of United Malay National Organisation
In office 16 January 2000 – 26 March 2009
President	Mahathir Mohamad Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded by	Siti Zaharah Sulaiman
Succeeded by	Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
In office 24 April 1987 – 9 October 1996
President	Mahathir Mohamad
Preceded by	Aishah Ghani
Succeeded by	Siti Zaharah Sulaiman
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kuala Kangsar
In office 22 April 1982 – 5 May 2013
Preceded by	Yong Fatimah Mohd. Razali (BN–UMNO)
Succeeded by	Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad (BN–UMNO)
Majority	8,556 (1982) 9,598 (1986) 7,994 (1990) 10,649 (1995) 2,774 (1999) 6,191 (2004) 1,458 (2008)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Selayang
In office 22 July 1978 – 21 April 1982
Preceded by	Rosemary Chow Poh Kheng (BN–MCA)
Succeeded by	Rahmah Othman (BN–UMNO)
Majority	21,270 (1978)
Personal details
Born	Rafidah binti Aziz (1943-11-04) 4 November 1943 (age 82) Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Japanese occupation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Political party	United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (until 2018) Independent (since 2018)
Other political affiliations	Barisan Nasional (BN) (until 2018)
Alma mater	University of Malaya
Occupation	Politician

Rafidah binti Aziz (born 4 November 1943) is a Malaysian politician. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Selayang area from 1978 to 1982. Later, she represented the Kuala Kangsar area from 1982 to 2013.

Born in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Rafidah became the Minister of International Trade and Industry from 1987 to 2008. During her time as minister, she also led MATRADE starting in 1991. She was a long-serving politician from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, which was part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, until 2018.

Early Life and Education

Rafidah studied at the University of Malaya. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1966. She then completed her master's degree in Economics in 1970.

After finishing her studies, she started her career in education. From 1966 to 1976, she worked as a tutor and lecturer. She taught in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Malaya.

Rafidah's Political Journey

Rafidah was very active in Malaysian politics for many years. Her journey in government began in 1974.

Starting in Parliament

In 1974, Rafidah was first appointed as a Senator. This is a member of the upper house of Malaysia's Parliament. She later resigned from this role to run in the General Elections in 1978.

She successfully became a Member of Parliament (MP). She represented the Selayang area from 1978 to 1982. After that, she served as the MP for the Kuala Kangsar area from 1982 until 2013. This made her one of Malaysia's longest-serving female MPs.

Key Ministerial Roles

Rafidah held several important positions in the Malaysian government. From 1977 to 1980, she was the Deputy Minister of Finance. She then became the Minister of Public Enterprises from 1980 to 1987.

Her longest role was as Malaysia's Minister of Trade. She served in this position from 1987 to 2008. This made her the longest-serving Trade Minister in the country's history.

Rafidah with Mahathir Mohamad and Vladimir Putin in 2002

Leading the Women's Wing

Rafidah also played a big role within her political party, UMNO. She was the head of UMNO's Woman Wing, known as Wanita UMNO in Malay. She held this leadership position from 1999 to 2009.

In 2009, she sought to be re-elected for another term. However, she lost the election to Shahrizat Abdul Jalil at the UMNO General Assembly.

Challenges and Changes

In 2006, Rafidah faced some questions regarding the issuance of Approved Permits (APs). These permits were for importing foreign vehicles. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad raised concerns about this issue.

In March 2008, after the general election, Rafidah was not included in the new cabinet. This happened even though she won her parliamentary seat. She had served in government for 32 years and as a minister for 20 years. She said she felt "blessed and content" with her long career.

In 2018, Rafidah was removed from the UMNO party. This happened before the 2018 Malaysian general election. That election saw UMNO and Barisan Nasional lose power for the first time.

Life After Politics

After leaving active politics, Rafidah continued to be involved in other areas.

Business Leadership

Since March 3, 2011, Rafidah has served as the Non-Executive Independent Chairman and Director of AirAsia X. She also chaired Supermax Corporation Berhad from June 16, 2015, until her resignation on April 16, 2018.

New Government Role

On February 11, 2019, Rafidah was appointed as a member of the Economic Action Council (EAC). This appointment was made by the new government at the time.

Election Results Overview

Rafidah Aziz participated in several general elections during her political career. The table below shows her election results. It lists the years, constituencies, and how she performed against her opponents.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Rafidah has received several awards for her contributions. In 2018, she was the main recipient of the Nona Superwoman Award.

Honours and Titles

Rafidah Aziz has been awarded many honours from Malaysia and other countries. These awards recognize her long service and contributions.

Malaysian Honours

•  Malaysia :
  • Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (AMN) (1973)
  • Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (2008)
•  Selangor :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) – Datin Paduka (1979)
•  Perak :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (1989)
•  Terengganu :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Terengganu (SPMT) – Dato' (1998)
•  Sarawak :
  • Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – Dato Sri (2003)
•  Malacca :
  • Grand Commander of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) – Datuk Seri (2007)

Foreign Honours

•  Chile :
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins (1994)