Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...

Mohamed Zahir bin Ismail (19 March 1924 – 14 October 2004) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as

Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat The Speaker of the House of Representatives ( ms, Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat) is the highest-ranking presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Raky ...

, the lower chamber of the

Malaysian Parliament The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, lit. "People's Assembly") and the ...

from June 1982 to his death in October 2004. He was the longest-serving officeholder by serving for 22 years, 4 months. He was also the first Chancellor of the

International Medical University The International Medical University (IMU) is a private, English language, health sciences university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was established in 1992, and is active in research and teaching within medicine and healthcare with a strong int ...

from 1999 to 2004.

Early life and education

Mohamed Zahir was born in Alor Setar, Kedah. He attended Sekolah Kebangsaan Hosba in

Jitra Jitra ( zh, 日得拉) is a town and a mukim in Kubang Pasu District, in northern Kedah, Malaysia. It is the fourth-largest town in Kedah after Alor Setar, Sungai Petani and Kulim. History During World War II, when the Japanese attacked Mala ...

and later

Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid ( en, Sultan Abdul Hamid College; abbreviated SAHC; also known as Maktab Sultan Abdul Hamid) located in Alor Setar, Kedah, is one of Malaysia's oldest and most prestigious schools. Founded in 1908 as Government English S ...

, Alor Setar. He obtained his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from Lincoln's Inn in 1955.

Career

Mohamed Zahir began practising as a lawyer from 1956. After the independence of Malaya, he served on the Kedah State EXCO from 1959 to 1963, and briefly as

Menteri Besar In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar ( Jawi:منتري بسر; literally ''First Minister''), colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For four states without a monarch, the t ...

in 1963. He was appointed to the Dewan Negara (the upper house) in August 1963, and completed two terms (of three years each) as a Senator. He was actively involved in the formation of the

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 ...

, serving as a diplomat to the United Nations and as the Malayan representative to the Cobbold Commission. In 1975, he was appointed to the Kota Bharu High Court as a judge. Now a respected figure in Malaysian politics, he was elected

following the 1982 general elections, a post he held for 22 years. During his tenure, he also became President of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

, Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum and the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly.

Death

In October 2004, Mohamed Zahir died in office due to acute renal failure in

Kuala Lumpur Hospital Kuala Lumpur Hospital ( ms, Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur, abbr: ''HKL'') is a Malaysian government-owned public hospital in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. Founded in 1870, HKL is a not-for-profit institution and serves as the flagshi ...

. He was laid to rest beside the grave of his wife, Toh Puan Halimatun Saadiah Chik, at the Section 21 Muslim burial ground in

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 ...

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 ...

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Companion of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

(JMN) (1963) **

Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Silver) (PPM) (1965) ** Commander of the

(PMN) – Tan Sri (1984) **

Grand Commander 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 ...

(SSM) – Tun (1998) * : ** MY-KEL Order of the Crown of Kelantan - Star of Muhammad

Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Kelantan Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

(SPMK) – Dato' (1975) * : ** Knight Grand Companion of the

Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah The Illustrious Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of Kedah (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Yang Mulia Setia di-Raja'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Kedah History It was founded by Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah on 21 September 1973. Cl ...

(SSDK) – Dato' Seri (2002)

References

Others

Dalam lembut Tun Mohamed tetap tegas
MyKMU Net (from Berita Harian) Accessed 7 June 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zahir Ismail, Mohamed Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat Members of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly Kedah state executive councillors Members of the Dewan Negara 1924 births 2004 deaths Deaths from kidney failure People from Kedah Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims United Malays National Organisation politicians Members of Lincoln's Inn 20th-century Malaysian judges Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm International Medical University faculty