Nik Ahmad Kamil Nik Mahmud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4thSpeaker of the Dewan Rakyat | |
| In office 11 November 1974 – 20 December 1977 | |
| Monarchs | Abdul Halim Yahya Petra |
| Preceded by | Chik Mohamad Yusuf Sheikh Abdul Rahman |
| Succeeded by | Syed Nasir Syed Ismail |
| 3rdHigh Commissioner of Malaya to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 1957–1958 | |
| Preceded by | Othman Mohamad |
| Succeeded by | Tunku Ya'acob Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah |
| 1stHigh Commissioner of Malaya to Australia | |
| In office 1956–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Gunn Lay Teik |
| 11thMenteri Besar of Kelantan | |
| In office 1944–1953 | |
| Preceded by | Nik Mahmud Nik Ismail |
| Succeeded by | Tengku Muhammad Hamzah Tengku Zainal Abidin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nik Ahmad Kamil bin Nik Mahmud (1909-07-07)7 July 1909 Kota Bharu,Kelantan,Unfederated Malay States,British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 20 December 1977(1977-12-20) (aged 68) Petaling Jaya,Selangor, Malaysia |
| Resting place | Kampung Tunku Muslim Cemetery, Petaling Jaya, Selangor |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) |
| Spouse | Nafisah Mahmood |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol Lincoln's Inn |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician |
NikAhmad Kamil binNikMahmud (7 July 1909 – 20 December 1977) was a Malaysian politician who played an active role during the country's road to independence. A prominent member of theUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in the state ofKelantan, he served as the fourthSpeaker of theDewan Rakyat, the lower house of theMalaysian Parliament.
Nik Ahmad Kamil was a lawyer and member of the Bar. His daughter, Nik Mariah was also a lawyer and member of the Bar.[1]
Nik Ahmad Kamil was born inKota Bharu in 1909.[2] His father, Nik Mahmud Nik Ismail was theMenteri Besar of Kelantan. He was educated at Madrasah Muhammadiah, Kota Bharu andMalay College Kuala Kangsar. After studying Arts at theUniversity of Bristol, he obtained hisBachelor of Laws fromLincoln's Inn in 1930.[2] He was called to the Bar that year.
He joined the Kelantan civil service under theBritish colonial administration in 1930 and served as State Secretary from 1934 to 1938, succeeding his uncle.[2] In 1938, he was appointed Deputy Menteri Besar under his father.[3] He succeeded his father as Menteri Besar in 1942 and held the post throughout the Japanese occupation.
From 1946 to 1948, during theMalayan Union period, Nik Ahmad Kamil served as Deputy Resident Commissioner in Kelantan under the new system of government. However, he became a staunch opponent of the Malayan Union and led the Persatuan Melayu Kelantan (Kelantan Malay Association, PKM) in protesting the new system, which he felt infringed upon the rights of theMalays and their rulers.[3] He represented PKM at the first Pan-Malayan Malay Congress inJohor Bahru in 1946 which saw the founding of theUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He was an active member of UMNO, serving on its executive committee.[3] When the Malayan Union was finally dissolved in 1948, Nik Ahmad Kamil continued as Menteri Besar of Kelantan under the newFederation of Malaya until 1953.[3]
Nik Ahmad Kamil was a close supporter of UMNO founderOnn Jaafar. He was selected by Onn to join a working committee in charge of drafting a charter for the newly formed UMNO. He followed Onn's exit from UMNO in 1951 and joined theIndependence of Malaya Party andParti Negara, two parties formed by Onn in opposition to UMNO and theAlliance Party.[3] He was chosen to serve under theMember System from 1953 to 1956, and held the Lands, Mines and Communications portfolio and later the Local Government, Housing and Town Development portfolio.[2]
In thefirst ever federal elections in 1955, Nik Ahmad Kamil contested a seat as a Parti Negara candidate. He lost, and Parti Negara was swept aside by the Alliance Party led byTunku Abdul Rahman. Realizing that Parti Negara had failed to gain relevance among the people of Malaya, he left to rejoin UMNO.[3] He served under the new Alliance government asCommissioner of Trade to Australia from 1956 to 1957.
Nik Ahmad Kamil joined the 1956 Merdeka Delegation led by the Tunku to London as one of four representatives of theMalay rulers.[2][3] Following the independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957, he was appointed the firstHigh Commissioner to the United Kingdom and served until 1958.[2] He remained in the diplomatic circles and served as both Permanent Representative to the United Nations as well asAmbassador to the United States from 1959 to 1962.[3]
Nik Ahmad Kamil returned to contest the1964 general election and won the Kota Bharu Hilir parliamentary seat in Kelantan. However, UMNO still lost out to thePan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Kelantan.[3] In thenext election in 1969, he won the Ulu Kelantan seat as PAS retained control of the state.[2]
He served as a member of the UMNO supreme council and later became its permanent chairman.[2] In 1971, he was elected Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. In 1974, he succeededC.M. Yusuf asSpeaker of the Dewan Rakyat, a position he held until his death.
Nik Ahmad Kamil suffered a heart attack while carrying out his duties in theParliament building on 19 December 1977. He died the following morning.[2]
Malaya :-_PMN.svg)
Commander of theOrder of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) –Tan Sri (1958)[4]
Malaysia :
Recipient of theMalaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)[5]
Kelantan :
Recipient of theRoyal Family Order orStar of Yunus (DK)
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Kelantan orAl-Muhammadi Star (SPMK) -Dato'
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan orAl-Ismaili Star (SJMK) -Dato'
Recipient of theOrder of the Most Distinguished and Most Valiant Warrior (PYGP)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat 1974–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Nik Mahmud Ismail | Menteri Besar of Kelantan 1944–1953 | Succeeded by Tengku Hamzah Zainal Abidin |