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 to 2022. This makes him the longest-serving MP in Malaysia's history.
He is sometimes called the Father of Malaysian Economic Development. This is because he helped create important economic plans and organizations in Malaysia. He is also a relative of the current Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V. People often call him Ku Li, which is a short and friendly version of his name.
He held many important jobs. He was the Minister of Finance (1976–1984) and the Minister of International Trade and Industry (1984–1987). He also led big organizations like the Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank. He was the first Chairman and Chief Executive of Malaysia's national oil company, PETRONAS.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tengku Razaleigh was born on 13 April 1937 in Kota Bharu. His father, Tengku Sri Maharaja Tengku Muhammad Hamzah, was once the Chief Minister of Kelantan.
Razaleigh went to English-speaking schools. He studied at Sultan Ismail College and later at Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). He then moved to Anderson School in Ipoh. He earned a degree in economics from the Queen's University of Belfast in 1959. He started studying law but had to return home when his father passed away. He then took over his family's business.
Helping Malaysia's Economy Grow
In the mid-1960s, Malaysia wanted to boost its economy. Prime Ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman and Abdul Razak Hussein supported many new projects. Razaleigh was chosen to lead many of these important tasks. This included taking over large foreign-owned companies and industries.
Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad
In 1965, a meeting called the "Bumiputra Economic Congress" was held. Its goal was to encourage Malays and other local groups to join business and industry. The government decided to create a local bank called "Bank Bumiputra."
On 1 October 1965, Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad officially opened. Tengku Razaleigh was one of its first leaders, serving as executive director. The bank's main purpose was to help rural business people with loans. In 1999, Bank Bumiputra joined with another bank to form CIMB Group.
Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PERNAS)
PERNAS was set up in 1969. It was a government-owned company. Its aim was to help more local people get involved in the private sector and industries. Razaleigh was the chairman of PERNAS from 1970 to 1974.
PERNAS wanted to:
- Invest in projects that would bring good profits.
- Work with other companies but keep control.
- Hire local people at all levels.
PERNAS created many smaller companies. These included Malaysia National Insurance Berhad and Pernas Construction Sdn Bhd. Razaleigh also helped PERNAS take over big foreign-owned companies like London Tin Company and Sime Darby. This helped move their main offices to Malaysia.
In 1971, Razaleigh visited China to start business ties. Trade between Malaysia and China grew a lot after this visit.
Fleet Holdings
Fleet Holdings was created in 1972. It was started by Razaleigh, who was the Treasurer of UMNO. The goal was to give Malaysians more control over local media companies. Before this, many media companies were owned by foreigners.
Fleet Holdings first took control of the Straits Times Press, a major newspaper publisher. After this success, Fleet Holdings grew into other areas. These included banking, car rentals, and insurance. By 1983, the company was worth a lot of money.
Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)
In the early 1970s, there was a disagreement over oil rights. Prime Minister Abdul Razak asked Razaleigh to help. Razaleigh suggested creating a company that would share oil profits between the federal and state governments.
In 1974, the Petroleum Development Act was passed. This led to the creation of PETRONAS (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) on 17 August 1974. Prime Minister Abdul Razak appointed Razaleigh as the first Chairman and Chief Executive of PETRONAS. This job was as important as being a Cabinet Minister.
At first, big oil companies like Exxon and Shell did not want to give up their oil rights. Razaleigh told them they would be operating illegally if they didn't negotiate. After many talks, the foreign oil companies agreed to work with PETRONAS. This gave PETRONAS control over all oil and gas in Malaysia.
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB)
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) was founded on 17 March 1978. It was Razaleigh's idea. PNB's goal was to help local people own shares in companies. It also aimed to help local professionals manage wealth.
Today, PNB is a big investor in the Malaysian stock market. It also helps develop human talent through scholarships.
Setting up Banking Firms and Other Institutions
Razaleigh also helped set up other important institutions. He established Bank Pembangunan Malaysia. He also founded Bank Islam, which is a bank that follows Islamic principles. He also started Syarikat Takaful, an insurance company that follows Islamic law.
In 1977, Razaleigh founded the Institute of Marketing Malaysia (IMM) and became its first Patron.
Malaysian & ASEAN Chamber of Commerce
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 played a big role in changing Malaysia's economy. The Malaysian Chamber of Commerce once called him the "Malaysian Oil Prince." In 1975, he was named "Father of Malaysian Economic Development."
Political Career
Joining UMNO
Tengku Razaleigh had been involved in politics since the early 1960s. He officially joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in 1962. He quickly became the chairman of UMNO's Ulu Kelantan Division.
Tunku Abdul Rahman, a former Prime Minister, saw Razaleigh's leadership potential. He encouraged Razaleigh to run for political office. In the 1969 general election, Razaleigh won a seat in the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly.
In 1971, he was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council. In 1973, he became the Treasurer of UMNO. In the 1974 general election, Razaleigh won the Parliamentary seat of Ulu Kelantan (now called Gua Musang).
In 1976, after the Prime Minister passed away, Razaleigh became the Minister of Finance. He had to leave his roles at PETRONAS to focus on this important job.
Razaleigh's strategies helped the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition win big in the 1978 general election. This victory strengthened his position as a key political figure. Many people thought he would become the next Prime Minister.
In 1981, Mahathir Mohamad became Prime Minister. Mahathir decided that the Deputy Prime Minister would be chosen through an election within UMNO. Razaleigh ran for the Deputy Presidency but lost to Musa Hitam. Razaleigh continued as Finance Minister for a few more years.
Leaving UMNO and Starting Semangat 46
In 1987, Tengku Razaleigh challenged Mahathir for the leadership of UMNO. This caused a big split in the party. Mahathir won by a small number of votes.
Some of Razaleigh's supporters claimed there were problems with the election. They took UMNO to court. The court found that some delegates were not eligible to vote. Because of this, UMNO was declared illegal in 1988. Mahathir then formed a new party called UMNO Baru (New UMNO). Most of the leaders of the new party were from Mahathir's group.
Razaleigh and his supporters could not join the new UMNO. So, with the help of former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razaleigh started a new political party. It was called Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46). The number 46 referred to the year the original UMNO was founded. Many important leaders joined Semangat 46.
In 1996, Tengku Razaleigh decided to end Semangat 46 and rejoin UMNO.
Return to UMNO
After Semangat 46 was dissolved, Tengku Razaleigh returned to UMNO in 1996. Mahathir brought Razaleigh back into a leadership role in UMNO Kelantan in 1999.
Razaleigh tried to become the UMNO president in 2004 and again in 2008. However, he did not get enough support to run for the top position.
In 2011, Razaleigh launched a non-government organization (NGO) called Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah). Its goal was to bring back the spirit of independence among Malaysians.
After the 2018 general election, Razaleigh ran for UMNO president again. He lost to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He was then made the Chairman of the UMNO Advisory Council. In 2021, he resigned from this role due to disagreements about UMNO's political alliances.
Personal Life
Tengku Razaleigh married Yvonne Law, a former executive from Malaysia Airlines. She changed her name to Noor Yvonne Abdullah after becoming a Muslim. They were married on 9 December 1993. She passed away on 5 June 2015, after suffering from a type of blood cancer.
Election Results
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah served as a Member of Parliament for 48 years. He won many elections during his long career. He first won a state assembly seat in Kelantan in 1969. Then, he became a Member of Parliament for Ulu Kelantan (later Gua Musang) in 1974. He continued to win this seat in every election until 2022.
In the 2022 election, he lost his seat in Gua Musang by a very small margin.
Honours
Tengku Razaleigh has received many awards and honours for his service to Malaysia and its states.
- From Malaysia:
* Tan Sri (1973) – This is a high honour given by the King of Malaysia.
- From Kelantan:
* Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Kelantan (DK) (1978, reinstated 2018)
- From Pahang:
* Dato' Sri (1980)
- From Selangor:
* Dato' Seri (1982)
Some of his awards from Kelantan were temporarily taken away in 2010 but one was given back in 2018.
Images for kids
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Tengku Razaleigh
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
