Tunku Abdul Rahman formed the first Rahman cabinet after being invited to begin a new government following the 27 July 1955 general election 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 ...

. Upon receiving the assent of the Rulers of the Malay States, the composition of the cabinet was announced by the High Commissioner of the

Federation of Malaya The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...

Donald MacGillivray Sir Donald Charles MacGillivray (22 September 1906 – 24 December 1966) was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the last British High Commissioner in Malaya. Early life and education MacGillivray was born in 1906, the son of Edinb ...

, from King's House on 4 August 1955. The cabinet was sworn on 9 August 1955, by the

Chief Justice of Malaya The high courts in Malaysia are the third-highest courts in the hierarchy of courts, after the Federal Court and the Court of Appeal. Article 121 of the Constitution of Malaysia provides that there shall be two high courts of co-ordinate jurisdi ...

, Prethaser. The swearing in of this cabinet marked the first time the majority of the

Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

were members directly elected by Malayans and this was also the last cabinet to hold office under the British

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

. Only four portfolios, the Chief Secretary to the Government, Secretary of Finance,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and the Secretary of State, remained directly appointed by High Commissioner and were helmed by British officials. The tenure of the cabinet extended beyond the

independence of Malaya Independence Day ( ms, Hari Merdeka, also known as ''Hari Kebangsaan'' or "National Day"), is the official independence day of Malaya. It commemorates the Malayan Declaration of Independence of 31 August 1957, and is defined in Article 160 o ...

on 31 August 1957, although it was reshuffled with the addition of new portfolios following independence and was only dissolved with the first post-independence general elections was called on 19 August 1959. This is a list of the members of the first cabinet of the first Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya (then Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya), Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Composition

Full members

The federal cabinet consisted of the following ministers:Arkib Negara
Mesyuarat Kali Pertama Kabinet Merdeka
(in Malay)

Deputy and assistant ministers

References

{{Malaysian cabinets Cabinet of Malaysia 1955 establishments in Malaya 1959 disestablishments in Malaya Cabinets established in 1955 Cabinets disestablished in 1959

Composition

Full members

Deputy and assistant ministers

See also

References