Ghazali Shafie

Muhammad Ghazali bin Shafie (22 March 1922 – 24 January 2010)[1] was a Malaysian politician. He served as Foreign Minister and Home Minister during his career.

Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Muhammad Ghazali Shafie SSM PMN PPM SSAP SIMP SSSA SPDK DA
Ghazali during the signing of Cobbold Commission.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 17 July 1981 – 17 July 1984
Monarch	Ahmad Shah Iskandar
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Mokhtar Hashim (1981–1983) Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir (1983–1984)
Preceded by	Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail
Succeeded by	Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail
Constituency	Lipis
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 13 August 1973 – 16 July 1981
Monarch	Abdul Halim Yahya Petra Ahmad Shah
Prime Minister	Abdul Razak Hussein Hussein Onn
Deputy	Abdul Samad Idris (1973–1976) Shariff Ahmad (1976–1978) Rais Yatim (1978) Syed Ahmad Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin (1978–1980) Sanusi Junid (1980–1981)
Preceded by	Ismail Abdul Rahman
Succeeded by	Musa Hitam
Constituency	Lipis
Minister of Information Minister with Special Functions
In office 22 April 1971 – 24 August 1974
Monarch	Abdul Halim
Prime Minister	Abdul Razak Hussein
Deputy	Shariff Ahmad (1973–1974)
Preceded by	Hamzah Abu Samah as Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Succeeded by	Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail
Constituency	Senator Lipis
Personal details
Born	22 March 1922 Kuala Lipis, Pahang, British Malaya
Died	24 January 2010 (aged 87) Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Resting place	Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Political party	UMNO
Spouse(s)	Toh Puan Khatijah Abdul Majid (deceased)
Alma mater	University College of Wales London School of Economics

Biography

Ghazali was born in 1922 in Kuala Lipis, Pahang.[2] He was of Minangkabau descent from Rao, West Sumatra.[3] He was part of the clandestine resistance to the Japanese occupation of Malaya in World War II. He then studied at the University of Wales and the London School of Economics.[4]

After a career in the civil service, Ghazali entered politics.[4] He served as Home and Information Minister from 1973 to 1981, and was then appointed as Foreign Minister until 1984. He represented the Parliamentary seat of Lipis from 1974, before which he was a member of the Dewan Negara (upper house of parliament).[5] As Foreign Minister, he was known for his role in ASEAN's diplomacy in respect of conflict in Cambodia.[4] Described as a "flamboyant politician",[4] his nickname was "King Ghaz".[5]

On 11 January 1982, Ghazali survived an aeroplane crash in which he was the pilot. His bodyguard and co-pilot were killed.[5] There had been reports (for example in the New York Times[6]) that Ghazali had been killed in the crash.[7] A coroner later blamed the accident on what the coroner found to be Ghazali's negligence.[8]

After leaving politics, he held a range of positions in the corporate sector and with international organisations.[2]

Ghazali died on 24 January 2010 at 7.45pm, at his home in Subang Jaya.[9] His wife, Toh Puan Khatijah Abdul Majid, died in April 2008; he is survived by his two sons, Bachtiar and Sheriffudin.[10] He was buried at Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.[11]

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

•  Malaysia :
  • Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)[12]
  • Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (1965)[13]
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (2005)[14]
•  Pahang :
  • Grand Knight of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – Dato' Indera
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri
•  Selangor :
  • Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (SSSA) – Dato' Seri (1985)[15]
•  Sabah :
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima
•  Sarawak :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) – Datuk Amar (1988)[12]

References

1. Tun Muhammad Ghazali bin Shafie. arkib.gov.my
2. "'King Ghaz' Remembered As No-nonsense Man". Bernama. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
3. http://ww1.utusan.com.my Archived 10 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Memperkasakan Tokoh Rao Archived 2 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
4. Leifer, Michael (2001). Dictionary of the modern politics of South-East Asia (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 121. ISBN 0-415-23875-7. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
5. "Ghazali Shafie Dies". Bernama. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
6. "Mohammad Ghazali bin Shafie, Malaysian official, dies in crash". New York Times. 11 January 1982. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
7. "Envoy Survives". The Pittsburgh Press (United Press International). 11 January 1982. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
8. "Minister blamed". The Montreal Gazette. 23 June 1983. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
9. "Ghazali Shafie dies". The Star (Malaysia). 24 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
10. "'King' Ghaz dies". The Malaysian Insider. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
11. ""King Ghaz" buried at Warriors' Mausoleum". mysinchew.com. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
12. "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
13. "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1965" (PDF).
14. "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 2005" (PDF).
15. "SSSA 1985". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 22 December 2020.