Abdul Ghani Othman

Abdul Ghani bin Othman (Jawi: عبدالغاني بن عثمان; born 14 November 1946) served as the 14th Menteri Besar of Johor in Malaysia from 1995 to 2013. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He had held the political party position of Ledang Division Chairman, Johor State Liaison Chairman and national Supreme Council member in UMNO before. Currently, he serves as Chairman of Sime Darby Berhad, starting from 1 July 2013.[1]

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Abdul Ghani Othman DKI DKII (Johor) PSM SPMJ PIS
عبدالغاني عثمان‎
14th Menteri Besar of Johor
In office 3 May 1995 – 14 May 2013
Monarch	Iskandar Ibrahim Ismail
Preceded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
Succeeded by	Mohamed Khaled Nordin
Constituency	Serom
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office 1 December 1993 – 7 May 1995
Monarch	Azlan Shah Ja'afar
Deputy	Teng Gaik Kwan
Preceded by	Annuar Musa
Succeeded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
Constituency	Ledang
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Ledang
In office 3 August 1986 – 24 April 1995
Preceded by	Ngah Abdul Rahman (UMNO-BN)
Succeeded by	Hashim Ismail (UMNO-BN)
Majority	10,665 (1986) 7,547 (1990)
Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly for Serom
In office 25 April 1995 – 5 May 2013
Preceded by	Hashim Ismail (UMNO-BN)
Succeeded by	Abd Razak Minhat (UMNO-BN)
Majority	13,496 (1995) 8,248 (1999) 8,081 (2004) 4,971 (2008)
Personal details
Born	Abdul Ghani bin Othman 14 November 1946 Sungai Mati, Tangkak (formerly part of Muar District), Johor, Malayan Union (now Malaysia)
Citizenship	Malaysian
Political party	United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
Other political affiliations	Barisan Nasional (BN) Perikatan Nasional (PN) Muafakat Nasional (MN)
Spouse(s)	Jamilah Ariffin
Alma mater	La Trobe University University of Queensland
Occupation	Politician

Early life and education

He received his primary education at Tangkak Boys School (Sekolah Laki-Laki Tangkak) before entering Muar High School (Sekolah Tinggi Muar). Qualifying for a Colombo Plan scholarship, Abdul Ghani furthered his studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics (Hons). Prior to returning to Malaysia, Abdul Ghani completed a master's degree in economics at the University of Queensland. Upon returning to his homeland, he joined the Economics Faculty of University Malaya (1974–1980) and within several years, was promoted to be the Dean of the School (1980–1984). In addition to that, he also served as Master of First College (Residential) for University of Malaya (1979 – 1984).[2]

Political career

Abdul Ghani's political career began when he was first appointed to be a Senator (December 1984 - July 1986). This was followed by his election to the Federal Parliament in 1986 general election for Ledang seat.

From May 1987 to November 1990, Abdul Ghani held the post of Deputy Minister for Energy, Telecommunication and Post. Subsequently, he was then given the portfolio of Deputy Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993.

In December 1993, Abdul Ghani was promoted to become the Minister of Youth and Sports (1 December 1993 - March 1995). He immediately initiated a national youth program called 'Rakan Muda' (Young Friend), which helped mobilise Malaysian youths through healthy activities such as sports and cultural events.

Abdul Ghani won the Johor State Legislative Assembly seat of Serom in the 1995 general election. In March 1995, Abdul Ghani was appointed to become the Menteri Besar of Johor and has held that position for the next 17 years.

During the 2013 Malaysian general election however, he was defeated in an upset result by Democratic Action Party (DAP) advisor Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah, Johor and was replaced by Mohamed Khaled Nordin as Menteri Besar for Johor.

Controversy

Bangsa Malaysia

Ghani did not agree with the Bangsa Malaysia concept and alleging that Bangsa Malaysia was a "nebulous concept" which overstepped the bounds of the Constitution. "Even if the term Bangsa Malaysia is to be used, it must only be applied in the context of all the peoples of Malaysia with the Malays as the pivotal race," he said.[3]

Ghani insisted that those advocating Bangsa Malaysia were echoing Lee Kuan Yew's call for a Malaysian Malaysia made during the early 1960s when Singapore was a state in Malaysia, even though the campaign had been repudiated by the government.[4]

After the 2006 UMNO Annual General Assembly, Ghani elaborated that his opposition to Bangsa Malaysia and Malaysian Malaysia was because:

It is about everything being equal and this does not capture the hearts of Malaysians. Therefore, regardless of whatever name is given, the concept is similar and this is against idea kenegaraan (the idea of nationhood) which we have inherited.

Ghani defined his idea kenegaraan as "the idea that has united the Malays, and also the same idea that has given privileges to other races to be citizens, live together and share power and prosperity."[5]

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia[6][7][8]

Year	Constituency	Government		Votes	Pct	Opposition		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1986	P116 Ledang, Johor		Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	21,558	66.43%		Lee Tiong King (DAP)	10,893	33.57%	33,679	10,665	71.39%
1990			Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	21,802	60.47%		Othman Tambi (S46)	14,255	39.53%	37,569	7,547	73.13%
2013	P162 Gelang Patah, Johor		Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	39,522	42.04%		Lim Kit Siang (DAP)	54,284	57.74%	95,071	14,762	89.08%

Johor State Legislative Assembly[6][7]

Year	Constituency	Government		Votes	Pct	Opposition		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1995	N4 Serom, P126 Ledang		Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	16,789	80.15%		Husni Md. Alip (S46)	3,293	15.72%	20,946	13,496	71.79%
1999			Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	14,652	67.12%		Abdullah Husin (PAS)	6,404	29.34%	21,830	8,248	71.75%
2004	N11 Serom, P144 Ledang		Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	11,276	75.99%		Abu Bakar Tambi (PAS)	3,195	21.53%	14,838	8,081	73.08%
2008			Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	10,088	64.63%		Rusman Kemin (PAS)	5,117	32.78%	15,609	4,971	75.85%

Honours and Awards

The Sultan of Johor awarded Abdul Ghani the Order of the Crown of Johor; Setia Mahkota Johor (SMJ) medal in 1989 and the Royal Family Order of Johor; Darjah Kerabat Johor Yang Amat Dihormati Pangkat Kedua (D.K. II) in 1996.[9] He was then conferred the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ) in 2004, which carried the title of Dato'.[10]

On 9 April 2009, Sultan Iskandar bestowed upon Abdul Ghani the highest award in the State of Johor, DK (I). It is very rare for a commoner to receive such an award, which is normally given to royals.

Honours of Malaysia

•  Malaysia :
  • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2014)[11][12]
•  Johor :
  • First Class (Grand Commander) of the Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor (DK I) (2009)[13]
  • Second Class (Commander) of the Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor (DK II) (1996)[11][14]
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) – Dato' (2004)[11][15]
  • Companion of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SMJ) (1989)
  • Gold Medal of the Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS) (2008)[16]

References

1. "Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
2. "kk1.um.edu.my". Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
3. Nambiar, Ravi & Nadzmi, Siti Nurbaiyah (6 November 2006). "Ghani: Bangsa Malaysia is rojak and unacceptable" Archived 13 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, p. 10. New Straits Times.
4. Nambiar, Ravi & Nadzmi, Siti Nurbaiyah (7 November 2006). "No Bangsa Malaysia in Constitution, says Najib", p. 6. New Straits Times.
5. Tan, Marsha (3 December 2006). Ghani on why people cannot accept concept. The Star.
6. "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 27 May 2010. Percentage figures exclude informal votes. Independent and third party candidates not listed.
7. "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
8. "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum. Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.Results only available for the 2013 election.
9. "Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran Bergelar Bagi Tahun 1996 Mengikut Negeri" (PDF).
10. "Abdullah tops Johor Sultan's birthday list". The Star Online. 8 April 2004.
11. "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 28 January 2020.
12. "IGP leads King's honours list". The Star Online. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
13. "Sultan of Johor Birthday's Honours List 2009". The Star Online. 11 April 2009.
14. "Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran Bergelar Bagi Tahun 1996 Mengikut Negeri" (PDF).
15. "Abdullah tops Johor Sultan's birthday list". The Star Online. 8 April 2004.
16. "Ghani to receive highest award in Johor". The Star. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2019.

External links

• Umno's Men-In-Waiting, 12 May 2000, Asiaweek