Omar Yoke Lin Ong

Last updated

Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Haji
Omar Ong Yoke Lin
翁毓麟
President of the Dewan Negara
In office
23 February 1973 –31 December 1980
Preceded by Abdul Hamid Khan
Succeeded by Ismail Khan
Personal details
BornOng Yoke Lin
(1917-07-23)23 July 1917
Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States
Died 1 July 2010(2010-07-01) (aged 92)
Resting place Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Political party Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)
Spouse(s) Toh Puan Dr. Aishah Ong
Chinese name
Chinese 翁毓麟
Hanyu Pinyin Wēng Yùlín
Hokkien POJ Ong Io̍klîn

Tun Haji Omar Ong Yoke Lin (翁毓麟; 23 July 1917 – 1 July 2010) [1] was a Malaysian politician, diplomat and businessman. He was a founding member of the Malaysian Chinese Association, and was a key figure in the country's road to independence. Ong served various positions in the government of Malaya and Malaysia, as a Cabinet minister and ambassador.

The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics, which are used extensively in Brunei and Malaysia. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders. The Philippines historically used Malay titles during its pre-Hispanic period, as evidenced by the titles of historical figures such as Rajah Sulayman, Lakandula and Dayang Kalangitan. Malay titles are still used by the royal houses of Sulu, Maguindanao, Buayan, and Maranao on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, but these are retained on a traditional basis, as the 1987 Constitution explicitly reaffirms the abolition of royal and noble titles in the republic. Indonesia, meanwhile, as a republic, does not recognize hereditary rulers and aristocratic systems. Nevertheless, their royal titles and honors are still used as courtesy titles.

Hajji title of honor

Hajji (الحجّي) is a title which is originally given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel, and in many Muslim societies as an honorific title for a respected man. The title is placed before a person's name; for example Joshua Omo becomes Hajji Joshua Omo.

Malaysia Federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of 13 states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital and largest city while Putrajaya is the seat of federal government. With a population of over 30 million, Malaysia is the world's 44th most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai, is in Malaysia. In the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries, with large numbers of endemic species.

Contents

He was a Chinese Muslim convert.

Early life and education

Born Ong Yoke Lin on 23 July 1917 in Kuala Lumpur, he attended Pudu Girls' English School and later Victoria Institution, where he was contemporaries of, among others, Yahya Abdul Razak, Lee Siew Choh, Yaacob Latiff and Mahmood Ambak, the father-in-law of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He passed the London Matriculation in 1935 and trained as a chartered accountant. He intended to read law, but his studies were put on hold by the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Kuala Lumpur Capital of Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur or commonly known as KL, is the national capital and largest city in Malaysia. As the global city of Malaysia, it covers an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 1.73 million as of 2016. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.25 million people as of 2017. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in both population and economic development.

Victoria Institution school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Victoria Institution, formerly known as SMK Victoria is a secondary school for boys and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as the V.I. and a student of the Victoria Institution is known as a Victorian.

Lee Siew Choh Singaporean politician and physician

Dr. Lee Siew Choh was a Singaporean politician and medical doctor. Initially a member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he became a leader of the breakaway Socialist Front in 1961. After the Socialist Front merged with the Workers' Party in 1988, Lee stood as a Workers' Party candidate in the 1988 general election and became Singapore's first Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), serving in this role until 1991.

Politics

Omar helped found and joined the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) in 1949. As a prominent Chinese leader, Ong was selected by the British High Commissioner as a member of the then fully appointed Selangor State Council and Federal Legislative Council.

In 1952, he and Yahya Abdul Razak mooted the idea of an alliance between MCA and the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) for the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Council elections. This was the precursor to the formal Alliance Party. He contested and won a seat in that election, and was chosen as leader of the Alliance Party in the Municipal Council.

United Malays National Organisation Malaysian political party

The United Malays National Organisation is Malaysia's main opposition political party. It is a founding member of the Barisan Nasional coalition which, with its predecessor the Alliance, had been the government of Malaysia and dominated the country's politics from independence until 2018. Until then, all of Malaysia's Prime Ministers had been members of UMNO, until Mahathir Mohamad became the first prime minister from Pakatan Harapan, and the first prime minister to have tenures with two different parties.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall is the city council which administers the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. This council was established after the city was officially granted city status on 1 February 1972. Their jurisdiction covers an area of 243 square kilometres.

Alliance Party (Malaysia) political coalition in Malaysia

The Alliance Party was a political coalition in Malaysia. The Alliance Party, whose membership comprised United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), was formally registered as a political organisation on 30 October 1957. It was the ruling coalition of Malaya from 1957 to 1963, and Malaysia from 1963 to 1973. The party became the Barisan Nasional in 1973.

Omar went on to become MCA vice-president and the Member of Parliament for Hulu Selangor. [2]

Dewan Rakyat Lower chamber of the Parliament of Malaysia

The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of members elected during elections from federal constituencies drawn by the Election Commission.

In 1955, the Alliance Party won the first ever elections to the Federal Legislative Council under the leadership of Tunku Abdul Rahman. Omar was appointed Minister for Post and Telecoms in the Tunku's first Cabinet. Following the overwhelming support shown for the Alliance Party during the elections and the forming of the government, the Tunku led the Merdeka Delegation to London which successfully negotiated independence from the British. Omar joined the Tunku on his second trip to London in April 1957 to finalise the newly drafted Constitution of Malaya. [2]

Tunku Abdul Rahman Malaysian politician

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, ; was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957, before becoming Malaya's first Prime Minister after independence in 1957. He remained Prime Minister following the formation of Malaysia in 1963, when Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore merged with Malaya, until his resignation in 1970.

London Capital of the United Kingdom

London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

Independence and the formation of Malaysia

On 31 August 1957, Omar was appointed to the first Rahman cabinet of the newly independent Federation of Malaya, holding the Labour and Social Welfare portfolio. In 1959, he became Health Minister.

During negotiations to unite Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and British North Borneo (later known as Sabah), Ong was Ambassador to the United Nations as Malaya focused on diplomacy amid regional tensions with Indonesia ( Konfrontasi ).

Following the proclamation of the Federation of Malaysia, Ong continued to serve in the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio until 1973. He served concurrently as High Commissioner to Canada in 1966 and as Ambassador to Brazil from 1967 to 1972.

In 1973, he was elected President of the Dewan Negara and served until 1980.

Personal life

Tun Omar was married to Toh Puan Dr. Aishah and had three children. [3] He converted to Islam in 1961. [2]

Death

Ong died on 1 July 2010 due to old age. He was 92. His body was laid to rest at Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. [3]

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

Notes

  1. ↑ Tun Dato' Haji Omar Ong Yoke Lin. arkib.gov.my
  2. 1 2 3 "Omar Ong Yoke Lin: the passing of an era". The Malaysian Insider. 1 July 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Tun Omar Yoke Lin Ong dies of old age". The Star . Star Publications. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  4. ↑ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
  5. ↑ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1979" (PDF).

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