Wan Mokhtar bin Wan Ahmad (21 March 1932 – 21 September 2020) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 11th Menteri Besar of Terengganu. In office for 25 years, he was the longest-serving head of the Terengganu state government (1974 - 1999). He also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kemaman (1964 - 1974) and Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Cukai (1974 - 1999).[1]
Wan Mokhtar Wan Ahmad | |
|---|---|
| وان مختار وان أحمد | |
| 10th Menteri Besar of Terengganu | |
| In office 1 September 1974 – 2 December 1999 | |
| Monarchs | Ismail Nasiruddin Mahmud Mizan Zainal Abidin |
| Preceded by | Nik Hassan Wan Abdul Rahman (UMNO) |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS) |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kemaman | |
| In office 25 April 1964 – 23 August 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Wan Yahya Wan Mohamed |
| Succeeded by | Wan Abdul Kadir Ismail |
| Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for Cukai | |
| In office 24 August 1974 – 29 November 1999 | |
| Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia | |
| In office 23 November 2000 – 1 June 2005 | |
| Monarch | Sirajuddin |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad (2000–03) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003–05) |
| Preceded by | Shapi Abu Samah |
| Succeeded by | Ismail Ibrahim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wan Mokhtar bin Wan Ahmad 21 March 1932 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 21 September 2020 (aged 88) Prince Court Medical Centre, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur |
| Resting place | Section 21 Muslim Cemetery, Shah Alam, Selangor |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) |
| Other political affiliations | Alliance Party Barisan Nasional (BN) |
| Spouse |
Aishahtun Mohd Fadlullah Suhaimi
(died 2018) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Al-Azhar University |
Wan Mokhtar was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in the then-ruling Alliance and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He was an ally of the similarly longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. In 1987, he was elected the vice-president of UMNO, alongside Anwar Ibrahim, under Mahathir's running team.[2]
His political prominence in the state came to an end in the 1999 state election, when the then-opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government with a landslide victory. He also lost his Chukai state seat then.[3] He was then appointed as the Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2000 to 2005.[1]
Personal life edit
Wan Mokhtar was married to Aishahtun Mohd Fadlullah Suhaimi (1937–2018) and the couple had five children.[4][5] One of his sons, Wan Abdul Hakim was elected in the 2013 state election as the MLA for the Air Putih state assembly constituency for one term from 2013 to 2018 before being defeated in the next state elections. [6][7]
Death edit
On 21 September 2020, Wan Mokhtar died at 6:20 a.m. at Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur due to heart complications. He was 88 years old and is survived by his 5 children.[8][9][10] He was laid to rest at the Section 21 Muslim Cemetery in Shah Alam, Selangor.[11][12]
Election results edit
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | P029 Kemaman, Terengganu | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | 10,153 | 64.20% | Wan Hamid Wan Ibrahim (SF) | 3,072 | 19.43% | 16,556 | 7,081 | 75.21% | ||
| Syed Noh Alwee (PMIP) | 2,589 | 16.37% | ||||||||||
| 1969 | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | 9,428 | 52.49% | Wan Yahya Wan Mohamed (PMIP) | 8,534 | 47.51% | 18,872 | 894 | 70.02% | |||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | N28 Chukai | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | ||||||||||
| 1978 | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | |||||||||||
| 1982 | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | |||||||||||
| 1986 | N31 Cukai | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | 5,562 | 67.13% | Awang Dagang Yusof (PAS) | 2,566 | 30.97% | 8,650 | 2,996 | 72.17% | ||
| Zainal Abidin Mustaffa (SDP) | 158 | 1.91% | ||||||||||
| 1990 | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | 6,206 | 58.39% | Alias Abdul Rahman (S46) | 4,422 | 41.60% | 10,962 | 1,784 | 77.70% | |||
| 1995 | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | |||||||||||
| 1999 | Wan Mokhtar Ahmad (UMNO) | 6,128 | 48.28% | Awang Jusoh (PAS) | 6,564 | 51.72% | 436 | |||||
Honours edit
Honours of Malaysia edit
Malaysia :
Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Silver) (PPM) (1965)
Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1971)[15]
Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (1988)[16]
Terengganu :
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Terengganu (SPMT) – Dato' (1976)[17]
Member Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Mahmud I of Terengganu (SSMT) – Dato' Seri (1983)[17]
Sarawak :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) – Datuk Amar (1981)[17]
Johor :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (DPMJ) – Dato' (1983)[17]
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References edit
- ^ a b "Terengganu people will remember Wan Mokhtar for his services". Malay Mail. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ Sankaran Ramanathan; Mohd Hamdan Adnan (1988). Malaysia's 1986 General Election: The Urban-rural Dichotomy. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 77.
- ^ "Wan Mokhtar says he is not solely to blame for defeat". New Straits Times. 4 December 1999. p. 4. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Isteri bekas Menteri Besar Terengganu meninggal". Berita Harian (in Malay). 21 April 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Jenazah isteri bekas MB Terengganu selamat dikebumi". Berita Harian (in Malay). 21 April 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Zubaidah Abu Bakar (9 May 2014). "All eyes on Terengganu MB as rumours run wild". Rakyat Post. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
- ^ Martin Carvalho (21 September 2020). "Former Terengganu MB Wan Mokthar Ahmad, 88, dies of heart complications". The Star Online. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ SAID, ROSALINDA MD (21 September 2020). "Wan Mokhtar meninggal dunia". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Mokhtar, Nor Azizah (21 September 2020). "Bekas MB Terengganu meninggal dunia". Berita Harian (in Malay). Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Noh, Norzamira Che (21 September 2020). "Jenazah Wan Mokhtar selamat dikebumikan". Berita Harian (in Malay). Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ MUHAMMAD, ASYRAF (21 September 2020). "Jenazah Allahyarham Wan Mokhtar selamat dikebumikan". Sinar Harian (in Malay). Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ General Election 86 Results. New Straits Times. 5 August 1986.
- ^ General Election 90 Results. New Straits Times. 23 October 1990.
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1971" (PDF).
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1988" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d "Dato' Seri Amar Diraja Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar bin Wan Ahmad". National Archives of Malaysia (in Malay). Malaysia. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
