Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yang Mulia Tan Sri
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
DK (Kelantan) PSM SSAP SPMS
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| تڠكو غزالي حمزة | |
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Razaleigh in 2013
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| Ministerial roles | |
| 1976–1984 | Minister of Finance |
| 1984–1987 | Minister of Trade and Industry |
| Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat | |
| 1974–1989 | Barisan Nasional |
| 1989–1996 | Parti Melayu Semangat 46 |
| 1996–2022 | Barisan Nasional |
| Faction represented in Kelantan State Legislative Assembly | |
| 1969–1974 | Alliance Party |
| 1974 | Barisan Nasional |
| Other roles | |
| 1965–1970 | Founding Executive Director of the Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Berhad |
| 1970–1976 | Chairman & Managing Director of the Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Berhad |
| 1970–1974 | Chairman of the National Corporation |
| 1974–1976 | Founding Chairman & Chief Executive Petronas |
| 1976–1977 | Chairman of the Asian Development Bank |
| 1977–1978 | Chairman of the 33rd Board of Governors of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund |
| 1978–1979 | Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah
13 April 1937 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (1962–1988; 1996–present) Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46) (1989–1996) |
| Other political affiliations |
Barisan Nasional (BN) (1962–1988; 1996–present) Gagasan Rakyat (GR) (1990–1996) Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU) (1990–1996) |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Sultan Muhammad V (grandnephew) |
| Relatives | Tengku Abdul Aziz (brother) |
| Residences | No. 31, Jalan Langgak Golf, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur (city) Palm Manor, Kota Bharu, Kelantan (birthplace cum hometown; private) |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Occupation | Politician |
Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah (born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 48 years, from 1974 until 2022. This makes him the longest-serving MP in Malaysia's history. He is often called the Father of Malaysian Economic Development. This is because he helped create important economic plans and organizations for Malaysia. He is also related to the royal family of Kelantan.
Tengku Razaleigh was the Minister of Finance from 1976 to 1984. He also served as the Minister of International Trade and Industry from 1984 to 1987. He was the first Chairman and Chief Executive of Petronas, Malaysia's national oil company. People sometimes call him "The People's Prince" or "Ku Kita" (Our Tengku). He is also known as Ku Li, a short and friendly name.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tengku Razaleigh was born on 13 April 1937 in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. His father, Tengku Muhammad Hamzah, was once the Chief Minister of Kelantan. Razaleigh went to English-speaking schools. He studied at Sultan Ismail College and then Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). He later moved to Anderson School in Ipoh.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Queen's University Belfast in 1959. He then planned to study law. However, his father passed away, and he had to return home. He took over his family's business and later joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) political party.
Helping Malaysia's Economy Grow
In the mid-1960s, Malaysia wanted to boost its economy. Tengku Razaleigh was chosen to lead many important projects. He helped bring many foreign-owned companies and industries under Malaysian control.
Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad
In 1965, a meeting called the "Bumiputra Economic Congress" was held. Its goal was to encourage Malaysians to get involved in business. One key idea from this meeting was to create a local bank. This bank would help local business people, especially those in rural areas.
Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad was officially opened on 1 October 1965. Tengku Razaleigh was one of its first executive directors. The bank's main job was to give loans and support to local businesses. Later, in 1999, Bank Bumiputra merged with another bank to form CIMB Group.
Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PERNAS)
PERNAS, or the National Corporation, was set up in 1969. It was a government-owned company. Its main purpose was to help more local people participate in big businesses and industries. Tengku Razaleigh was the chairman of PERNAS from 1970 to 1974.
PERNAS aimed to:
- Invest in businesses that would bring good profits.
- Work with other companies but keep control.
- Hire local people at all levels.
Under Razaleigh's leadership, PERNAS helped take over several large foreign-owned companies. These included the London Tin Company (a big tin mining company) and plantation companies like Sime Darby and Guthrie. This helped bring more of Malaysia's wealth under local control.
In 1971, Razaleigh also led a group to China to start business ties. This visit helped increase trade between Malaysia and China significantly over the years.
Fleet Holdings
Fleet Holdings was created in 1972 by Tengku Razaleigh. He was the Treasurer of UMNO at the time. The company's goal was to gain control of Malaysian media companies, which were mostly owned by foreign companies. It also aimed to make UMNO less dependent on financial support from non-Malay business people.
Fleet Holdings successfully took control of the Straits Times Press, a major publishing company. After this, Fleet Holdings grew into other areas like banking and car rental. By 1983, when Razaleigh left the company, it had grown significantly.
Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas)
Petronas is Malaysia's national oil and gas company. It was created to manage Malaysia's oil resources. Tengku Razaleigh played a crucial role in its formation. He helped draft the Petroleum Development Act, which gave the government control over oil and gas.
In 1974, Petronas was officially formed. Tengku Razaleigh was appointed as its first Chairman and Chief Executive. He worked to ensure that all oil-producing states in Malaysia agreed to the new system. This system gave 5% of oil revenues back to the states as royalty payments. He also successfully negotiated with large foreign oil companies like Exxon and Shell to hand over their oil concessions to Petronas.
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB)
PNB was founded in 1978. Tengku Razaleigh came up with the idea for this company. Its main goal was to help local people, especially the Bumiputera community, own shares in companies. It also aimed to create opportunities for skilled local professionals to manage wealth.
Today, PNB is a very large investor in the Malaysian stock market. It helps develop human talent through scholarships and job opportunities.
Setting Up Other Important Institutions
Tengku Razaleigh also helped set up other important financial institutions. These include Bank Pembangunan Malaysia (a development bank) and Bank Islam (an Islamic bank). He also founded Syarikat Takaful, an insurance company that follows Islamic principles.
He also founded the Institute of Marketing Malaysia (IMM) in 1977 and became its first patron.
Leadership in Business Chambers
Tengku Razaleigh was the President of the Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also led the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was very important in changing Malaysia's economy. Because of his knowledge in the oil business, he was sometimes called the "Malaysian Oil Prince." In 1975, the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce called him the "Father of Malaysian Economic Development."
Political Journey
Joining UMNO
Tengku Razaleigh was involved in politics from the early 1960s. He officially joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in 1962. He quickly became a leader in his local UMNO division. He also represented Malaysia at the United Nations in 1962.
Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, saw great potential in Razaleigh. After some time, Razaleigh agreed to run for a political seat. He won a seat in the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly in the 1969 general election.
In 1971, he was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council. He was later appointed as the Treasurer of UMNO in 1973. In the 1974 general election, Razaleigh won a seat in the Malaysian Parliament for Ulu Kelantan (now known as Gua Musang). In 1975, he was elected as one of the three Vice Presidents of UMNO.
In 1976, after the Prime Minister passed away, Razaleigh became the Minister of Finance. He was known for his strong stance in negotiations for Malaysia's oil rights. He later left his roles in Petronas to focus on being the Finance Minister.
Razaleigh's strategies helped the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition win a big victory in the 1978 general election. This success strengthened his position as a major political figure. He was re-elected as UMNO Vice President with the most votes that year. Many believed he would become the next Prime Minister.
In 1981, Mahathir Mohamad became Prime Minister. He decided that the Deputy Prime Minister would be chosen through an election for the UMNO Deputy Presidency. Razaleigh ran for this position against Musa Hitam. Musa won the election, and became the Deputy Prime Minister. Razaleigh remained as Finance Minister until 1984, when he became the Minister of International Trade and Industry.
Leaving UMNO and Forming Semangat 46
In 1987, Tengku Razaleigh challenged Mahathir for the leadership of UMNO. This election caused a big split in UMNO, dividing it into "Team A" (Mahathir's supporters) and "Team B" (Razaleigh's supporters). Mahathir won the election by a very small number of votes.
Some of Razaleigh's supporters claimed there were problems with the election. They took UMNO to court. In 1988, the court declared UMNO illegal due to technical issues. Mahathir then formed a new party called UMNO Baru (New UMNO), which included only his supporters.
Razaleigh and his supporters were not allowed to join the new UMNO. So, Razaleigh, with the support of former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, formed a new political party called Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46 or Semangat 46). The number 46 referred to the year the original UMNO was founded. Semangat 46 was officially registered in 1989. Many well-known leaders joined this new party. In 1990, Semangat 46 also formed two opposition groups: Gagasan Rakyat (GR) and Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU).
In 1996, Tengku Razaleigh decided to disband Semangat 46 and rejoin UMNO.
Returning to UMNO
Tengku Razaleigh returned to UMNO after Semangat 46 was dissolved in 1996. Mahathir, who was still Prime Minister, brought Razaleigh back into a leadership role in UMNO Kelantan in 1999.
In 2004 and 2008, Razaleigh expressed interest in becoming the leader of UMNO and potentially Prime Minister. However, he did not get enough support to challenge for the top position.
In 2011, Razaleigh launched a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah). Its goal was to bring back the spirit of independence among Malaysians.
After the 2018 general election, which saw the ruling BN government lose power, Razaleigh ran for UMNO party president again. He lost to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He was then appointed Chairman of the UMNO Advisory Council. In 2021, he resigned from this position, expressing his unhappiness with UMNO's political cooperation with another party.
Personal Life
Tengku Razaleigh was married to Yvonne Law, who later converted to Islam and changed her name to Noor Yvonne Abdullah. She was a former executive at Malaysia Airlines. They were married on 9 December 1993. She passed away on 5 June 2015, after battling a type of blood cancer.
Honours
Tengku Razaleigh has received several important awards and titles throughout his life:
- From Malaysia:
- Tan Sri (1973) – a high honor for his service to the country.
- From Kelantan:
- Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Kelantan (DK) (1978, reinstated 2018) – a royal family honor.
- From Pahang:
- Dato' Sri (1980) – a high state honor.
- From Selangor:
- Dato' Seri (1982) – a high state honor.
See also
In Spanish: Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah para niños
- Ulu Kelantan (federal constituency)
- Gua Musang (federal constituency)
- Parti Melayu Semangat 46
- Gagasan Rakyat
- Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah
