Dato' Haji Abdul Ghani Bin Othman (born 1946) is the current Menteri Besar of the state of Johor in Malaysia. He has been in office since 1995. Born in Sungai Mati, Ledang, he is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
Contents |
Early Life: Colombo Plan Scholar and Academic
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 Latrobe University in Melbourne, Australia. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics (Hons).
Prior to returning to Malaysia, Abdul Ghani completed a Masters in Economics at the University of Queensland. Upon returning to his homeland, he joined the Economics Faculty at University Malaya (1974-1980) and within several years, was promoted to be the Dean of the school (1980-1984).
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 appointment to the Federal Parliament in August 1986.
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 mobilize Malaysian youths through healthy activities such as sports and cultural events.
In March 1995, Abdul Ghani was appointed to become the Menteri Besar of Johor and has held that position ever since.
Awards
The Sultan of Johor awarded Abdul Ghani the Seri Mahkota Johor (SMJ) medal and the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ) in 1989, which brought with it the title of Dato'. Abdul Ghani was then given in 1996 the rank of DK (II) by the ruler of Johor.
On the 9th of 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.
Controversy
He created controversy in 2006 when he called for the scraping of 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.[1]
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.[2]
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."[3]
The Johor state government has accumulated a debt of RM841.13 in 2007. According to the audit report 2007, most of the debt was caused by Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ) and Johor Corp. What puzzled Johoreans was that on 20 April 1999, SAJ was privatized to Lambang Optima Sdn Bhd (LOSB), Sempurna Pelita Sdn Bhd (SPSB) holding the majority share while Yayasan Pelajaran Johor holding the minority share (20%).[4]
References
- ^ Nambiar, Ravi & Nadzmi, Siti Nurbaiyah (Nov. 6, 2006). "Ghani: Bangsa Malaysia is rojak and unacceptable", p. 10. New Straits Times.
- ^ Nambiar, Ravi & Nadzmi, Siti Nurbaiyah (Nov. 7, 2006). "No Bangsa Malaysia in Constitution, says Najib", p. 6. New Straits Times.
- ^ Tan, Marsha (Dec. 3, 2006). Ghani on why people cannot accept concept. The Star.
- ^ Audit Report 2007 "[1]"
External links
- Umno's Men-In-Waiting, May 12, 2000, Asiaweek
 |
This article about a Malaysian politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
