Marlis Rahman (9 June 1942 – 28 July 2018) was an Indonesian politician and academic. He served as Governor of West Sumatra for eight months between 2009 and 2010, and before that as the province's vice governor between 2005 and 2009. He was previously the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Andalas University Andalas University ( id, Universitas Andalas, abbreviated ''Unand'') is a public research university in Padang, West Sumatra. Andalas is one of the major public institution of higher learning in Indonesia, and the oldest outside the island of Java ...

Early life and academic career

Rahman was born on 9 June 1942 in

Bukittinggi Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highlands ...

, as the youngest of five children. His father was Malin Batuah, a cart driver, and his mother Lian was a housewife. He completed his elementary, middle and high school educations in state schools in Bukittinggi, before continuing his studies to

. While in Andalas, he was active in the student body, and later the organizations

KAMI are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

and the

Muslim Students' Association The Muslim Students Association, or Muslim Student Union, of the U.S. and Canada, also known as MSA National, is a religious organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining Islamic societies on college campuses in Canada and the United Sta ...

. He was later sent to the

Bandung Institute of Technology The Bandung Institute of Technology ( id, Institut Teknologi Bandung, abbreviated as ITB) is a national research university located in Bandung, Indonesia. Since its establishment in 1920, ITB has been consistently recognized as Indonesia's premie ...

to complete his degree, and he obtained his bachelor's in Biology in 1970. He then worked in the biology department within Andalas, becoming the department secretary in the mid-1970s. In 1977, he became the school director at the Semen Padang High School. In 1978, Rahman became the head of Andalas' faculty of natural sciences, and remained so until 1983. He later continued his studies at

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

, receiving his master's in botany and later a PhD in 1989. Returning to Andalas, he continued to serve as faculty head between 1990 and 1994. In 1997, he became the university's

Political career

Rahman ran as the running mate to

Gamawan Fauzi Gamawan Fauzi (born 9 November 1957) is an Indonesian politician. He served as Minister of Home Affairs between 2009 and 2014, and as Governor of West Sumatra between 2005 and 2009. Career Fauzi was the Minister of Home Affairs in the Second Uni ...

in West Sumatra's 2005 gubernatorial election, with the pair winning 41.54 percent of votes in a five candidate race. They were sworn in on 15 August 2005. On 23 October 2009, Fauzi resigned as governor due to his appointment as home affairs minister, and Rahman became the province's acting governor. He was officially sworn in as governor by Fauzi on 7 December 2009, the ceremony taking place at the provincial council building's parking garage as its main room was still damaged from the September earthquake. He ran as a gubernatorial candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial election, but placed second in the five-candidate race with Irwan Prayitno instead becoming governor.

Later life and death

Rahman died on 28 July 2018 at his home in Padang. Although he was provided with a state funeral and his body was to be brought to the governors' office, this was cancelled due to his family's request. He was buried at a nearby cemetery in Padang.

References

{{Governors of West Sumatra 1942 births 2018 deaths People from Bukittinggi Governors of West Sumatra Vice Governors of West Sumatra Andalas University alumni Bandung Institute of Technology alumni Ohio University alumni Indonesian biologists Andalas University rectors