Mohamed Rahmat

Mohamed bin Rahmat (4 January 1938 – 1 January 2010)[1] was a Malaysian politician, and former Information Minister of Malaysia (1978–1982, 1987–1999). He was famously known as Tok Mat, Mat Setia and Mat Mr Propaganda.[2]

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri

Mohamed Rahmat

PSM SPMJ SIMP SSIJ SSSA SPMT PNBS DGSM
Minister of Information
In office
20 May 1987 – 14 December 1999
MonarchIskandar
Azlan Shah
Ja'afar
Salahuddin
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
DeputyRailey Jaffery (1987–1995)
Suleiman Mohamed (1995–1999)
Preceded byTengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail
Succeeded byMohd Khalil Yaakob
ConstituencyPulai
In office
1 January 1978 – 22 April 1982
MonarchAbdul Halim
Prime MinisterHussein Onn
Mahathir Mohamad
DeputyOthman Abdullah (1978)
Ling Liong Sik (1978–1982)
Embong Yahya (1980–1982)
Preceded byAbdul Taib Mahmud
Succeeded byMohd. Adib Mohd. Adam
ConstituencyPulai
Personal details
Born(1938-01-04)4 January 1938
Pulai, Johor, British Malaya
Died1 January 2010(2010-01-01) (aged 71)
Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
ChildrenNur Jazlan Mohamed
OccupationPolitician

Personal life

Mohamed Rahmat was born on 4 January 1938 in Pulai near Johor Bahru, Johor.

Political career

He was the Member of Parliament for the federal constituency of Pulai from 1969 to 1999 representing UMNO-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 of United Malays National Organisation from 1988 to 1996 and the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional from 1988 to 1999.[4]

Career as Minister of Information

Rahmat has served as the Minister of Information two times during the administration of two different Prime Ministers: under Tun Hussein Onn from 1978 to 1982 and Mahathir Mohamad from 1987 to 1999.[4]

As the Minister 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 broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia in 1992. Among those who followed the directive were the rock groups Wings, with lead singer Awie; and Search, with lead singer Amy.[5]

Death

Mohamed Rahmat died on 1 January 2010 in Kuala Lumpur at the age of 71, three days before his 72nd birthday. His body was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.

Legacy

Several places and honours were named after him, including:

Election results
Parliament of Malaysia: Pulai, Johor[6]
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
1974 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 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 Mohamed Rahmat (UMNO) 36,871 83.16% Omar Sharif (S46) 7,468 16.84% 45,946 29,403 67.16%

Honour

Honours of Malaysia

References
  1. "Tok Mat dies". The Star. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  2. "Tok Mat 'Mr Propaganda' terbaik: Zukri". Malaysiakini. 1 January 2010.
  3. Azman Anuar (2 January 2010). "Tok Mat bangkitkan 'Semarak' rakyat". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. "Tok Mat meninggal tiga hari sebelum ulang tahun ke-72". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  5. "Haircuts end rock group ban". The Times. Associated Press. 2 November 1992. p. 13A. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  6. "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 27 June 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  7. "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".


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