Mohamed Rahmat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 1971–1973 | Parliamentary Secretary of Education |
| 1973–1974 | Deputy Minister of Finance |
| 1974–1976 | Deputy Minister of Coordination of Public Corporations |
| 1976–1978 | Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry |
| 1978–1982 | Minister of Information |
| 1987–1999 | Minister of Information |
| Faction represented inDewan Rakyat | |
| 1969–1974 | Alliance Party |
| 1974–1999 | Barisan Nasional |
| Other roles | |
| 1982–1985 | Ambassadors to Indonesia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-01-04)4 January 1938 |
| Died | 1 January 2010(2010-01-01) (aged 71) Bukit Damansara,Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Resting place | Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Children | Nur Jazlan Mohamed |
| Alma mater | University of Indonesia |
| Occupation | Politician |
Mohamed bin Rahmat (4 January 1938 – 1 January 2010)[1] was aMalaysian politician, and formerInformation Minister of Malaysia (1978–1982, 1987–1999). He was famously known asTok Mat,Mat Setia andMat Mr Propaganda.[2]
Mohamed Rahmat was born on 4 January 1938 in the village of Pulai,Johor Bahru,Johor.
Mohamed Rahmat first elected as Member of Parliament of Johore Bahru Barat seat in 1969. He was appointed asParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education inTun Razak first cabinet. He was the Member of Parliament forPulai from 1969 to 1999 representingUMNO-Barisan Nasional. He was also appointed for a short time as the ambassador to Indonesia with a ministerial rank from 1982 to 1984.[1][3]
Rahmat was appointed as the Secretary-General of both the party ofUnited Malays National Organisation from 1988 to 1996 and the ruling coalition ofBarisan Nasional from 1988 to 1999.[4]
Rahmat has served as the Minister of Information two times from 1978 to 1982 and from 1987 to 1999.[4]
As theMinister of Information, Mohamed introduced the "Setia Bersama Rakyat" (Semarak) programme which was aimed at instilling patriotism among the people.[3]
One notorious account from his post in office was when he ordered rock singers to trim their long hair if they wanted to participate in programmes aired by public broadcasterRadio Televisyen Malaysia in 1992. Among those who followed the directive were the rock groups Wings, with lead singerAwie; andSearch, with lead singer Amy.[5]
Mohamed Rahmat died on 1 January 2010 in Kuala Lumpur at the age of 71, just three days before his 72nd birthday. His body was laid to rest at theBukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.
Former Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad expressed his condolences to the family of Mohamed Rahmat. He acknowledged the excellent service that Mohamed provided during his time as a minister, stating that he greatly appreciated his contributions. Mahathir also mentioned his gratitude for Mohamed's service both as a minister in his cabinet and later as Malaysia's Ambassador to Indonesia, holding the rank of minister.[6]
Several places and honours were named after him, including:
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | P101Johore Bahru Barat | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 12,319 | 65.28% | Daing Ibrahim Othman (DAP) | 6,553 | 34.72% | 19,789 | 5,766 | 93.51% | ||
| 1974 | P113Pulai | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 18,835 | 75.79% | A. Razak Ahmad (PSRM) | 6,015 | 24.21% | 26,346 | 12,820 | 81.73% | ||
| 1978 | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 29,717 | 88.05% | Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahim (PAS) | 4,034 | 11.95% | Unknown | 25,683 | Unknown | |||
| 1982 | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 33,861 | 77.02% | Abdullah Abdul Hamid (DAP) | 10,105 | 22.98% | 46,412 | 23,756 | 75.71% | |||
| 1986 | P131Pulai | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 21,743 | 64.33% | Gurdial Singh Nijan Sadu Singh (PSRM) | 12,056 | 35.67% | 34,904 | 9,687 | 70.75% | ||
| 1990 | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 29,855 | 62.93% | A. Razak Ahmad (PRM) | 17,583 | 37.07% | 49,140 | 12,272 | 76.08% | |||
| 1995 | P142Pulai | Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) | 36,871 | 83.16% | Omar Sharif (S46) | 7,468 | 16.84% | 45,946 | 29,403 | 67.16% | ||
Malaysia
Commander of theOrder of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) –Tan Sri (2000)[8].svg)
Officer of theOrder of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1972)[9]
Johor
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) –Dato' (1975)[10]
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor (SSIJ) –Dato' (1977)[11] Knight Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Johor (DPMJ) –Dato' (1973)[12]
Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS)
Star of Sultan Ismail (BSI)
Malacca
Grand Commander of theExalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) –Datuk Seri (1997)[13]
Pahang
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – formerlyDato', nowDato' Indera (1987)[13]
Sabah
Grand Commander of theOrder of Kinabalu (SPDK) –Datuk Seri Panglima (1995)[13]
Sarawak.png)
Knight Commander of theMost Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – formerlyDato', nowDato Sri (1981)[14]
Selangor
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (SSSA) –Dato' Seri (1990)[15]
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) –Dato' (1988)[16]
Terengganu
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Terengganu (SPMT) –Dato' (1996)[13]| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
