Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, February 8, 1903 - December 6, 1990), commonly known as Tunku Abdul Rahman, was the first Prime Minister of Malaysia and was revered as the Father of the Nation. During his tenure, Tunku Abdul Rahman led the Federation of Malaya to independence and became the country's first prime minister in 1957. In 1963, the Federation of Malaya was reorganized into Malaysia, and he continued to serve as prime minister until 1970, when he resigned due to the May 13th Incident. During Tunku Abdul Rahman's administration, he was considered to promote multi-ethnic and moderate Islamic lines, but he was also criticized for his ineffective response to the economic gap between Malays and non-Malays, as well as for handling ethnic relations and losing control of the political situation before and after the May 13th Incident. He also had constant friction with the merged Singapore, which eventually led to Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965. Tunku Abdul Rahman died of illness in 1990 at the age of 87.