Tun Sir Raja Uda Al-Haj bin Raja Muhammad (1894 – 17 October 1976) was a

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 ...

n statesman during the country's struggle for independence and its early years of nationhood. He was a civil servant under the British colonial administration, and eventually rose to important administrative positions within the government. Upon the independence of

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

in 1957, he became the first

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 give ...

(Governor) of

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

, one of the four states in Malaysia without a hereditary ruler. Raja Uda was also the grandfather of Malaysian political blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Biography

Raja Uda was a member of the

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 ...

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

, being a distant cousin of

Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah ( Jawi: ; 13 May 1898 – 1 September 1960) was the second Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya from 14 April to 1 September 1960, and the sixth Sultan of Selangor bet ...

and a direct descendant of the first

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 ...

. He married Sultan Hisamuddin's sister, Tengku Badariah binti Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah. Educated at the

Malay College Kuala Kangsar The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; ; ) is a premier boarding school, residential school in Malaysia. It is an elite all-boys and all-Malay people, Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the ...

. Raja Uda joined the colonial government service in 1910 at age 16. In 1939, he was appointed as secretary to the British Resident of Selangor. He was

Menteri Besar of Selangor The Menteri Besar of Selangor, also referred to as the Chief Minister of Selangor, is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Selangor. According to convention, the Menteri Besar is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition p ...

twice, from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1954 to 1955. In between, Raja Uda served as Malayan High Commissioner in the United Kingdom. He was involved in negotiations with the British to establish the

Member System The Member System, modeled on the cabinet system, was created by British authorities in Malaysia to provide self-governance. Like the Communities Liaison Committee, it drew on members of different communities, and was later described as setting a ...

in the 1950s. In 1951, Raja Uda was appointed a CMG and appointed an Honorary

Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1953,. Following the first ever general election in 1955, Raja Uda was appointed Speaker of the

Federal Legislative Council The Federal Legislative Council (also known simply as the Legislative Council) was the legislative body of the Federation of Malaya and the predecessor of the Malaysian Parliament. It was formed in 1948 after the abolition of the Malayan Union and ...

. On August 30, 1957, the day before independence, Raja Uda was appointed the first

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the state of

and served for ten years. Raja Tun Uda died on October 17, 1976 and he was buried at the Selangor royal mausoleum near

Sultan Sulaiman Mosque Sultan Sulaiman Royal Mosque ( ms, 1=Masjid Diraja Sultan Sulaiman) is Selangor's royal mosque, which is located in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. It was constructed by the British in the early 1932 and was officially opened in 1933 by the late A ...

in Klang,

Legacy

Several projects and institutions were named after him, including: * The neighbourhood of ''Kampung Raja Uda'',

Port Klang Port Klang ( ms, Pelabuhan Klang) is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham ( ms, Pelabuhan Swettenham) but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is l ...

** Kampung Raja Uda Komuter station *

Raja Uda MRT station The Raja Uda MRT station, or Raja Uda–UTM station due to sponsorship reasons, is a mass rapid transit (MRT) station that serves the neighborhood of Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is one of the stations under the MRT Putrajaya Line. ...

* Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda or Raja Tun Uda Library 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 in ...

. *The Weld Quay in George Town,

was renamed Pengkalan Raja Tun Uda. * Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Raja Tun Uda (SMKRTU) in

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Lep ...

Masjid Jamek Raja Tun Uda A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) are performed, in ...

, the first mosque built in

located at Section 16. Streets *Jalan Raja Uda in

Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa ...

Honours

Honour of Penang

* As 1st

Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang The governor of Penang ( ms, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang) is the head of state of the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. The role of governor is largely ceremonial with the power vested in the executi ...

( – ) **

MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Knight Grand Commander - DUPN

Grand Master and Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Defender of State 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 ...

( – ) * : ** Grand Commander 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 o ...

(SMN) – Tun (1958) * : ** Malaysian_Commemorative_Medal_ribbon

Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)

Foreign Honours

* : **

UK_King_George_VI_Coronation_Medal_ribbon

King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to th ...

(1937) **

Order_of_the_British_Empire_(Civil)_Ribbon

Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) (1947) ** UK_Order_St-Michael_St-George_ribbon

Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) (1951) ** Order_of_the_British_Empire_(Civil)_Ribbon

Honorary Knight Commander of the

(KBE) - Sir (1953)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raja Uda Raja Muhammad Royal House of Selangor People from Selangor Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang 1894 births 1976 deaths Chief Ministers of Selangor Selangor state executive councillors High Commissioners of Malaysia to the United Kingdom Grand Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George