Mohamed Rahmat
Pulai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mohamed bin Rahmat (4 January 1938 – 1 January 2010)[1] was a Malaysian politician, and former Information Minister of Malaysia (1978–1982, 1987–1999). He was famously known as Tok Mat, Mat Setia and Mat Mr Propaganda.[2]
Personal life
Mohamed Rahmat was born on 4 January 1938 in the village of Pulai, Johor Bahru, Johor.
Political career
Mohamed Rahmat first elected as Member of Parliament of Johore Bahru Barat seat in 1969. He was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education in Tun Razak first cabinet. He was the Member of Parliament for Pulai from 1969 to 1999 representing UMNO-Barisan Nasional. He was also appointed for a short time as the ambassador to Indonesia with a ministerial rank from 1982 to 1984.[1][3]
Rahmat was appointed as the Secretary-General of both the party of United Malays National Organisation from 1988 to 1996 and the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional from 1988 to 1999.[4]
Career as Minister of Information
Rahmat has served as the Minister of Information two times during the administration of two different Prime Ministers: under Tun Hussein Onn from 1978 to 1982 and Mahathir Mohamad from 1987 to 1999.[4]
As the Minister of Information, Mohamed introduced the "Setia Bersama Rakyat" (Semarak) programme which was aimed at instilling patriotism among the people.[3]
One notorious account from his post in office was when he ordered rock singers to trim their long hair if they wanted to participate in programmes aired by public broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia in 1992. Among those who followed the directive were the rock groups Wings, with lead singer Awie; and Search, with lead singer Amy.[5]
Death
Mohamed Rahmat died on 1 January 2010 in Kuala Lumpur at the age of 71, just three days before his 72nd birthday. His body was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.
Legacy
Several places and honours were named after him, including:
- Kompleks Tan Sri Mohammad Rahmat in Tampoi, Johor Bahru, Johor.
Election results
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | P101 Johore Bahru Barat | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 12,319 | 65.28% | Daing Ibrahim Othman (DAP) | 6,553 | 34.72% | 19,789 | 5,766 | 93.51% | ||
1974 | P113 Pulai, Johor | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 18,835 | 75.79% | A. Razak Ahmad (PSRM) | 6,015 | 24.21% | 26,346 | 12,820 | 81.73% | ||
1978 | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 29,717 | 88.05% | Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahim (PAS) | 4,034 | 11.95% | Unknown | 25,683 | Unknown | |||
1982 | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 33,861 | 77.02% | Abdullah Abdul Hamid (DAP) | 10,105 | 22.98% | 46,412 | 23,756 | 75.71% | |||
1986 | P131 Pulai, Johor | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 21,743 | 64.33% | Gurdial Singh Nijan Sadu Singh (PSRM) | 12,056 | 35.67% | 34,904 | 9,687 | 70.75% | ||
1990 | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 29,855 | 62.93% | A. Razak Ahmad (PRM) | 17,583 | 37.07% | 49,140 | 12,272 | 76.08% | |||
1995 | P142 Pulai, Johor | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 36,871 | 83.16% | Omar Sharif (S46) | 7,468 | 16.84% | 45,946 | 29,403 | 67.16% |
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaysia :
Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1972)[7]
Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2000)[8]
Johor :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (DPMJ) – Dato' (1973)[9]
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) – Dato' (1975)[10]
Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor (SSIJ) – Dato' (1977)[11]
Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS)
Star of Sultan Ismail (BSI)
Pahang :
Grand Knight of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – formerly Dato', now Dato' Indera (1987)[12]
Sabah :
Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1995)[12]
Selangor :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) – Dato' (1988)[13]
Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (SSSA) – Dato' Seri (1990)[14]
Terengganu :
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Terengganu (SPMT) – Dato' (1996)[12]
Malacca :
Grand Commander of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) – Datuk Seri (1997)[12]
Sarawak :
Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – formerly Dato', now Dato Sri (1981)[15]
References
- ^ a b "Tok Mat dies". The Star. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ^ "Tok Mat 'Mr Propaganda' terbaik: Zukri". Malaysiakini. 1 January 2010.
- ^ a b Azman Anuar (2 January 2010). "Tok Mat bangkitkan 'Semarak' rakyat". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Tok Mat meninggal tiga hari sebelum ulang tahun ke-72". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Haircuts end rock group ban". The Times. Associated Press. 2 November 1992. p. 13A. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 27 June 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1972" (PDF).
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 2000" (PDF).
- ^ Johore Sultan's Birthday List Parade. New Straits Times. 3 November 1973.
- ^ Johore Sultan honours 456 on his birthday. New Straits Times. 28 October 1975.
- ^ "柔佛州苏丹殿下 昨庆八三岁华诞" [Johor Sultan Yesterday celebrate his 83th birthday]. 星洲日报. 29 October 1977. p. 7.
- ^ a b c d "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "DPMS 1988". awards.selangor.gov.my.
- ^ "SSSA 1990".
- ^ "砂元首耶谷昨庆华诞三百余人受封各级荣衔" [More than 300 people were conferred honorary titles during the birthday celebration of Sarawak's Yang Di-Pertua, Yakub]. 星洲日报. 8 July 1981. p. 9.
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