Tunku Abdul Rahman, according to reputable historians, is arguably Malaysia’s greatest ever prime minister, as he pioneered the nation from infantile beginnings, through an uncanny foresight and vision that is lacking in the other prime ministers of this country.

Tunku started the nation on the right footing, and from 1957 until he was ousted by the cunning and deception of his deputy Abdul Razak in 1970, he led the nation in steady and stable fashion, until the jealousy and envy of other politicians signalled his end in office.

Prior to full independence in 1957, he led the Federation of Malaya from 1955 as Chief Minister and was instrumental in forming Malaysia by uniting Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in the year 1963.

He was also the prime architect in securing independence from the British by embarking on the “London Mission” in 1956 representing UMNO together with leaders of the Alliance Party such as MCA and MIC and four representatives of the Malay Rulers.

The Tunku was not only an astute statesman but a brilliant scholar who graduated in law from St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was called to the bar at Inner Temple and participated and took an active interest in a number of sports.

Perhaps the defining factor of the Tunku or ‘Bapa Kemerdekaan’ (the Father of Independence) was his consummate ease in uniting the major races of this country, the Malays, the Chinese and Indians which endeared him to Malaysians.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE