This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 1989, together with births and deaths of notable Malaysians.

Incumbent political figures

Federal level

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

: ** Sultan Iskandar (until 25 April) ** Sultan Azlan Shah (from 26 April) *

Raja Permaisuri Agong ''Raja Permaisuri Agong'' ( Jawi: راج ڤرمايسوري اݢوڠ; full title: ''Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong''; سري ڤدوک بݢيندا راج ڤرمايسوري اݢوڠ, literally ''The Que ...

: **

Sultanah Zanariah Tunku Puan Zanariah binti Almarhum Tengku Ahmad, formerly known as Sultanah Zanariah ( Jawi:تونكو ڤوان زنيرة بنت المرحوم تڠکو احمد) (5 July 1940 – 17 March 2019),Information Malaysia (1985), pg 58 was the secon ...

(until 25 April) ** Tuanku Bainun (from 26 April) *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

: Dato' Sri Dr Mahathir Mohamad *

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

: Dato' Ghafar Baba * Lord President:

Abdul Hamid Omar Abdul Hamid bin Omar (25 March 1929 – 1 September 2009) was the first Chief Justice of Malaysia. Early life Abdul Hamid Omar was born on 25 March 1929 in Kuala Perlis, Perlis Indera Kayangan. He obtained his early education at the Sultan A ...

State level

* Sultan of Johor: Tunku Ibrahim Ismail (Regent until 25 April) * Sultan of

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

* Sultan of

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...

Sultan Ismail Petra Sultan Ismail Petra ibni Almarhum Sultan Yahya Petra ( Jawi: ; 11 November 1949 – 28 September 2019) was the 28th Sultan of Kelantan who reigned from 30 March 1979 to 13 September 2010. He succeeded on the death of his father, Sultan Yahy ...

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

Perlis Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...

Tuanku Syed Putra Tuanku Syed Harun Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail ( Jawi: ; 25 November 1920 – 16 April 2000) was the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya, and later of Malaysia and sixth Raja of Perlis. Early career He was the son of Syed Ha ...

Sultan of Perak The Sultan of Perak (سلطان ڤيراق) is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra, and died there in ...

: Raja Nazrin Shah (Regent from 26 April) * Sultan of

Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...

: Sultan Ahmad Shah * Sultan of Selangor:

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj ( Jawi: ; 8 March 1926 – 21 November 2001) was the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and eighth Sultan of Selangor. Early life Born on at 3:30 pm. ...

* Sultan of

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith" ...

: Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah *

Yang di-Pertuan Besar In Malay, Yang di-Pertuan Besar, literally ''"He Who Is Made Chief Ruler"'', is a title given to the head of state in segments of the Malay Archipelago. In Malaysia # Also known as Yamtuan Besar, it is the title of the elected monarch of the st ...

of Negeri Sembilan:

Tuanku Jaafar Tuanku Ja’afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman ( Jawi: ; 19 July 1922 – 27 December 2008) was the tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia from 26 April 1994 until 25 April 1999 and the tenth Yang Di-Pertuan Besar (Ruler) of Negeri ...

(Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong) *

Yang di-Pertua Negeri In Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri ( in Malay) is a constitutional title given to the head of state in states without a Ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak. This is in constrast to a Ruler () which is a constitutional title giv ...

(Governor) of Penang: ** Tun Dr Awang Hassan (until May) ** Tun Dr Hamdan Sheikh Tahir (from May) *

(Governor) of Malacca: Tun Syed Ahmad Al-Haj bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin *

(Governor) of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

: Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Mohammed Noor *

(Governor) of

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

: Tun Said Keruak

Events

*19 January –

Planetarium Sultan Iskandar The Sultan Iskandar Planetarium ( ms, Planetarium Sultan Iskandar) is a planetarium in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is also the first planetarium to be constructed in Malaysia. History The RM 3 million planetarium was constructed along with ...

in Kuching,

, the first planetarium in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

was officially opened. *1 February – The Malaysian National Speed Limit was enforced. * 19 February – A Boeing 747 owned by

Flying Tiger Line Flying Tiger Line, also known as Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a major military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The airline w ...

crashed 12 kilometres from the Subang International Airport while on approach. The pilots misinterpreted the controller's instructions to descend, causing the aircraft to fly below minimum altitude and crash into a hillside on the outskirts of

Puchong Puchong is a major town and a parliamentary constituency in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is bordered by Subang Jaya in the north, Sepang and Putrajaya in the south, Serdang in the east and Putra Heights in the west. History ...

. The flight crew mistook the descent altitude to be 400 feet, when the controller actually meant 2400 feet. All 4 flight crew were killed. * 8 March – Proton Saga Knight, the first Rally, Race, Research (R3) sports car was launched at Batu Tiga Circuit,

Shah Alam Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor ...

. * 19 March – Malaysian number one singer, Sudirman Arshad won the title " Best Performer" in the 1989 Salem Asian Music Awards at Royal Albert Hall,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. * 10 April – Four people were injured in a bomb blast at Dayabumi Complex,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. * 26 April – Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak was elected as the ninth

. * 15 April –

Malacca Town Malacca City ( ms, Bandaraya Melaka or ') is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca. As of 2019 it has a population of 579,000.https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/6_Newsletter/Newsletter%202020/DOSM_DOSM_MELAKA_1_2020_Siri-81.p ...

became a historical city and also a sister city of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. *20–31 August – The Kuala Lumpur 1989, XV Southeast Asian Games. * 22 September – Around 27 students, mostly schoolgirls were killed in the Madrasah fire tragedy in Guar Chempedak,

. * 18–24 October – The 11th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. * 2 December – The

Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89) Communist insurgency in Malaysia may refer to: * Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) * Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989) The Communist insurgency in Malaysia, also known as the Second Malayan Emergency ( ms, Perang insurgensi melaw ...

ended and the

Communist Party of Malaya The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was a Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist communist party which was active in British Malaya and later, the modern states of Malaysia and Singapore from ...

(CPM) agreed to a ceasefire. The

peace agreement A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surrend ...

was signed at Hat Yai,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

by the CPM, and the Malaysian and Thai governments. CPM was officially dissolved.

Births

*17 January – Aiman Hakim Ridza – Singer and actor *29 January – Ong Jian Guo – Badminton player *10 February – Neelofa – Actress and television host *9 June – Faliq Auri – Saxophone player *18 September – Daniel Bego – Swimmer

Deaths

*17 February – S. Kadarisman – Malay actor (born 1922) *2 April – Ibu Zain – Malay politician, nationalist and independence campaigner (born 1903) *23 April – S. Sudarmaji – Malay film director (born 1923) *31 May – Chang Ling-Yun – Malaysian Communist Politician (born 1921) *12 July – Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ismail – Tunku Aris Bendahara of Johor (born 1933)

Incumbent political figures

Federal level

State level

Events

Births

Deaths

See also