Khoo Kay Kim (; 28 March 1937 – 28 May 2019) was a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Chinese descent Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, ref ...

. He was honoured with

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

title by the

University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

in 2001. In January 2011, Khoo was appointed Chancellor of

KDU University College UOW Malaysia KDU University College (Formerly known as KDU University College) is a private university college in Malaysia, with its flagship campus in Utropolis Glenmarie, Shah Alam. Established in 1983, and a pioneer in Malaysian private ...

. Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

described Khoo’s passing as a truly great loss to the country.

Biography

Khoo Kay Kim was born to

Peranakan Chinese The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, t ...

parents in

Kampar, Perak Kampar ( Jawi: كمڤر, nicknamed ''Education City'') is the largest town of the eponymous Kampar District, Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1887, the town lies within the Kinta Valley, an area rich with tin reserves. It was a tin mining town whic ...

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 ...

on 28 March 1937. During his early education, he attend the English school in the morning before the Chinese school later in the afternoon. He received a BA, MA, and a PhD in 1959, 1967, and 1974 respectively from the

. His

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was entitled ''The Beginnings of Political Extremism in Malaya 1915-1935'' (1974), where he was supervised b
Kennedy G. Tregonning
the Raffles Professor of History at the University of Malaya. Khoo was one of the co-authors of

Rukunegara The ''Rukun Negara'' (also spelled ''Rukunegara''; Malay for "National Principles") is the Malaysian declaration of national philosophy instituted by royal proclamation on Merdeka Day, 1970, in reaction to a serious race riot known as the 13 ...

. He was a highly regarded national academic for his views on local sports and socio-political issues.

Personal life

He had married with N. Sri Rathimalar“We were not an ordinary country”
Deborah Loh, 17 October 2011, The Nut Graph The couple has three sons; traditional arts and culture advocate Eddin Khoo, Rubin Khoo and dancer

Mavin Khoo Mavin Khoo (Mavin Khoo Bu-Aun) is Malaysian dancer of the Indian classical dance form, Bharata Natyam. Early life and education Born on 30 April 1976 born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a youngest son to Tan Sri and Puan Sri Khoo Kay Kim. His fa ...

Death

Khoo died of lung failure on 28 May 2019, Tuesday morning at the

University Malaya Medical Centre University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) ( ms, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, abbr: ''PPUM''), formerly known as University Hospital, is a government-funded medical institution located in Pantai Dalam, southwest corner of Kuala Lumpur, Ma ...

(UMMC),

Petaling Jaya ) , website = , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''From top, left to right:Skyline of Petaling Jaya, the 1 Utama Mall integrated with Bandar Utama Station, the Kota Darul Ehsan arch, the Petaling J ...

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

at the age of 82.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Companion of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on ...

(JSM) – (1983) **

Commander of the

(PSM) – Tan Sri (2008) * : ** MY-PERA Order of the Perak State Crown - lower classes

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Perak State Crown The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown (Malay language, Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak. Background It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 D ...

(DPMP) – Dato' (1987) * : ** MY-SEL Order of the Crown of Selangor - Knight Commander - DPMS

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Selangor The Most Illustrious Order of the Crown of Selangor (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Selangor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an order awarded by Sultan of Selangor as a reward for general services to the sultan and state of Selangor. It was foun ...

(DPMS) – Dato' (2009)

Awards and accolades

* : ** The 10th "''Tokoh Akademik Negara''" of the National Academic Awards or ''Anugerah Akademik Negara'' (AAN) (2017) **

Merdeka Award The Merdeka Award is a Malaysian award that recognises and celebrates the achievements and significant contributions of individuals to Malaysia and its people, within their respective fields. The Royal Patron of the Merdeka Award Trust is the S ...

for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement (2018)

Places named after him

In July 2019, the Selangor state government with the consent of the

Sultan of Selangor Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the t ...

, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed to renamed Jalan Semangat in

as Jalan Prof. Khoo Kay Kim in honouring the Khoo's contributions during his life.

Selected bibliograph

* The Western Malay States 1850-1873: The Effects of Commercial Development on Malay Politics (1972) * Teluk Anson (Teluk Intan) 100 Tahun (1982) * Malay Society: Transformation & Democratisation: A Stimulating and Discerning Study on the Evolution of Malay Society Through the Passage of Time (1991) * His Majesty Sultan Azlan Shah (1991) * Taiping: Ibukota Perak (1981) * Taiping: The Vibrant Years (2003) * 100 Years the University of Malaya (2005) * I, KKK: The Autobiography of a Historian (2017)

References

External links

History of Malaysia
''Malaysian National Library''. URL accessed on 10 April 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Khoo Kay 1937 births 2019 deaths People from Perak Malaysian people of Hokkien descent Malaysian people of Chinese descent Peranakan people in Malaysia 20th-century Malaysian historians Malaysian male writers Historians of Southeast Asia University of Malaya faculty University of Malaya alumni Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia 21st-century Malaysian historians 20th-century male writers