Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj full story

In 1956, he led a mission to London for a discussion with the British government on the independence for Malaya. The meeting resulted in the signing of the Independence Treaty at Lancaster House in London on February 8, 1956, that led to the independence of Malaya on 31st August, 1957. Tunku then became the first Prime Minister of Malaya, and led the Alliance to victory in the 1959, 1964, and 1969 general elections. In 1961, Tunku proposed the idea of “Malaysia”, consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei. Two years and a few referendums later, on 16th September 1963, Malaysia was born, made up of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. Due to political differences, Singapore seceded from Malaysia in 1965. Tunku Abdul Rahman was the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malay States (Malaya) from 1957 to 1963, and of Malaysia from 1963 to 1970. He loved football and horse racing. Under his initiative, “Pesta Bola Merdeka” was born in 1957 which led to his appointment as the first President of Asian Football Confederation (AFC). “Whatever the sport, I was a very keen sportsman. I have always been an outdoors man, a lover of all the wild things in life,” he said. Tunku was married three times. With his first wife, Meriam Chong, Tunku was granted two children: Tunku Khadijah and Tunku Ahmad Nerang. Meriam Chong, however, died of a malarial infection not long after giving birth to Tunku Nerang. Tunku later married to his former landlady, Violet Coulson, who he met when he was studying in London. Tunku’s marriage with Violet, however, did not receive his family’s blessing, and the marriage ended in divorce around two years later. In 1939, Tunku married Tun Sharifah Rodziah, the younger sister of Syed Omar Barakbah, Tunku’s college friend when he was studying in London. Tunku and Tun Sharifah did not have a child together, but they adopted three children: Faridah, Sulaiman, and Mariam.