Tun Datuk Seri Utama Syed Ahmad bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin (4 May 1925 – 7 July 2008) was a Malaysian politician. He was the Menteri Besar of Kedah from 1967 to 1978 and the fifth

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

Melaka Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has bee ...

state from 1984 until 2004, the longest-serving governor of Malacca.

Life

Syed Ahmad was born on 4 May 1925 in

Kulim The Kulim District is a district and town in the state of Kedah, Malaysia. It is located on the southeast of Kedah, bordering Penang. The town of Kulim, a mere east of Penang's capital city, George Town, also forms part of Greater Penang, Ma ...

, Kedah, Malaysia. He is the third son of five brothers and sisters. Syed Ahmad received his early education at Sekolah Melayu Kulim (Kulim Malay School) in 1932 till 1935 and continued his education at the

Sultan Abdul Hamid College 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 Star Alor Setar ( Jawi: الور ستار, Kedahan: ''Loqstaq'') is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia ...

till he passed his

Senior Cambridge Examination The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations. History India The ...

in 1947. Syed Ahmad had wide experience and actively engaged in politics. He was the Kedah

UMNO The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...

Assistant Secretary (1951–1954), Secretary Kedah UMNO (1954–1967), Chairman, UMNO State Liaison Committee and Kedah National Front (1967–1978), UMNO Supreme Council Member (1968–1978), and Deputy chairman, UMNO State Liaison Committee and Kedah National Front (1978–1984). Syed Ahmad was appointed as Menteri Besar of Kedah (1967–1978) and Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs (1978–1982 and Malaysia's High Commissioner to Singapore (1982–1984). In 1984, he was appointed as the fifth

(Governor) of Melaka state. Syed Ahmad married Toh Puan Sharifah Haniffah Syed Alwi in 1950 and they had six children. Toh Puan died on 5 July 1993 in Kuala Lumpur. In 1960, H.E. Tun married Toh Puan Datuk Seri Datin Seri Utama Marfuza Sheikh Mohd Osman and they had 4 children.

Death

Syed Ahmad died on 7 July 2008 at his house in

Taman Tun Dr Ismail Taman Tun Dr. Ismail is a nearly half a decade old mid sized township in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Situated on the border of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, it is within the vicinity of relatively newer townships including Bandar Utama Damansara, D ...

, Kuala Lumpur. He was 83 years old. His body was buried at Melaka's State Heroes Mausoleum ''(Makam Pahlawan Negeri)'' near

Al Azim Mosque Al-Azim Mosque ( ms, Masjid Al-Azim) is the state mosque of Malacca. It is located next to the Malacca General Hospital, the Malacca Al-Quran Museum and the State Heroes Mausoleum ( ms, Makam Pahlawan Negeri) and was constructed to replace th ...

Malacca Town Malacca City ( ms, Bandaraya Melaka or ') is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca. As of 2019 it has a population of 579,000.https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/6_Newsletter/Newsletter%202020/DOSM_DOSM_MELAKA_1_2020_Siri-81.p ...

. He was the first state leader to be buried there.

Legacy

*The Sekolah Kebangsaan Tun Syed Ahmad Shahabuddin at

Hang Tuah Jaya Hang Tuah Jaya is a planned area in the Malaysian state of Malacca created by its government as the state's administrative centre and smart city with economical, social, infrastructural and recreational developments. It was launched by the fif ...

Ayer Keroh Ayer Keroh is a town situated in Melaka Tengah District, Malacca, Malaysia. It is the seat of the state government since 2006, being the home of the state secretariat building complex – Seri Negeri complex and one of a few towns which formed t ...

was named after him. *The Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Syed Ahmad at

Kuala Nerang Kuala Nerang is the capital of Padang Terap District, Kedah, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen state ...

was also named after him. *There is the mosque Masjid Tun Syed Ahmad Al-Haj in

Bukit Beruang Bukit Beruang is a town in Melaka Tengah District, Malacca, Malaysia named after its eponymous hill with a height of , a famous spot for hiking. The most famous landmark in Bukit Beruang is the state branch of Multimedia University, a private uni ...

was named after him.

Honours and titles

He was awarded :

Titles

He held the title of "''Tun Datuk Seri Utama''" by combination of his highest Federal Malaysian title "''Tun''" (SMN) and his highest Malaccan title "''Datuk Seri Utama''" (DUNM)
In other states of Malaysia, a similar combination between his highest Federal Malaysian title "''Tun''" (SMN) and his local highest title may be used. Example : ''Tun Datuk Seri Panglima'' in Sabah.

Honours of Malacca

* As 5th

Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca The Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca or Malacca Governor is the ceremonial head of state of the Malaysian state of Malacca. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri is styled Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT) (''English: His Excellency''). The current office bearer, A ...

4 December 1984 – 3 June 2004 ) ** MY-MAL Exalted Order of Malacca

Grand Master and Grand Commander of the Premier and Exalted Order of Malacca (DUNM) with title ''Datuk Seri Utama'' ** MY-MAL Exalted Order of Malacca

Grand Master of the Exalted Order of Malacca

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 o ...

(JMN) (1958) * : **

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

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 on ...

(PSM) – Tan Sri (1979) **

Grand Commander of the

(SSM) – Tun (1987) ** Grand Commander

(SMN) – Tun (1989) * : **

Justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

(JP) of Kedah ** MY-KED Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah - Companion (SMK)

Companion of the

Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah The Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Yang Maha Mulia Sri Mahkota Kedah'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Kedah History It was founded by Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah on 21 February 1964. Classes It is a ...

(SMK) (1965) ** Knight Grand Commander of the

(SPMK) – Dato' Seri (1968) ** 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. C ...

(SSDK) – Dato' Seri (1976) * : ** MY-SEL Order of the Crown of Selangor - Knight Grand Commander - SPMS

Knight Grand 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 fou ...

(SPMS) – Dato' Seri *: ** MY-SAR_Order_of_the_Star_of_Sarawak_-_2_ribbon_PNBS_-JBS-PBS-ABS-BBS

Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – Dato Sri ** Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DP) – Datuk Patinggi * : ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - PGDK

Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) – Datuk ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - SPDK

Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima

References

Ex-Malacca governor laid to rest
–

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, 8 July 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin, Syed Ahmad Chief Ministers of Kedah Malaysian people of Arab descent 1925 births 2008 deaths People from Kedah Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims United Malays National Organisation politicians Members of the Dewan Negara Members of the Dewan Rakyat Members of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly Kedah state executive councillors High Commissioners of Malaysia to Singapore Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca