Tunku Abdul Aziz bin Tunku Ibrahim (; 22 January 1934 – 7 February 2023) was a Malaysian corporate figure, activist and politician. He held numerous roles in the worldwide anti-corruption movement, most prominently as vice-chairman of the board of directors of Transparency International.

Biography

Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim was born in

Alor Setar 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 ...

, Kedah in 1934. He was a distant member of the Kedah royal family. His father was an officer in the Kedah state police. Tunku Aziz helped found Transparency International-Malaysia, the local chapter of Transparency International (TI) in 1998. In March that year, he was elected vice-chairman of TI's board of directors, a position he held until October 2002. Tunku Aziz played a wide role in fighting corruption and promoting good governance in Asia (including corporate governance). He served as a member of the World Bank High Level Advisory Group on Anti-Corruption in the East Asia and Pacific Region, the Asia Pacific Advisory Panel on Good Urban Governance, the Board of the International Institute of Public Ethics and the United Nations Development Programme Advisory Panel for the 2002

Human Development Report The Human Development Report (HDR) is an annual Human Development Index report published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The first HDR was launched in 1990 by the Pakistani economist ...

. From February 2006 to January 2007, he served as special advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan in New York. During his tenure, he set up the UN Ethics Office. Tunku Aziz joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in August 2008, citing shared "values and ideals" with the party. He was immediately appointed national vice-chairman of the party. In July 2009, he was appointed a senator in the

Dewan Negara The Dewan Negara (English language, English: Senate; Literal translation, lit. "State Council") is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the State legislative assemblies of Malaysia, ...

, representing the state 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 ...

. He is the first senator ever from the DAP. In May 2012, Tunku Aziz spoke out against the

Bersih 3.0 rally The Bersih 3.0 rally (also called Sit In rally or Duduk Bantah in Malay) was the largest democratic protest in Malaysia. This rally was organised as a follow-up to the 2011 Bersih rally and the 2007 Bersih rally. The rally, organised by the C ...

which was largely supported by Pakatan Rakyat. He said the event encouraged Malaysians to "break the law." He also criticised rally organisers for allowing the opposition coalition to "hijack" its agenda and failing to curb violence among their own protestors. On 9 May, DAP declined to extend Tunku Aziz's senate term ending on 30 May. Less than a week later, he indicated his desire to resign from the party, citing irreconcilable differences. Tunku Aziz died on 7 February 2023, aged 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul Aziz, Tunku 1934 births 2023 deaths Malaysian politicians of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Former Democratic Action Party (Malaysia) politicians Anti-corruption activists Members of the Dewan Negara Royal House of Kedah People from Alor Setar