The 1977 Kelantan Emergency took place in the state of

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in t ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

. The

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

was declared by the

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

, Sultan Yahya Petra who was also

Sultan of Kelantan The Sultan of Kelantan () is the constitutional head of Kelantan state in Malaysia. The executive power of the state is vested in him as the monarch of the state. The current sultan, Muhammad V, is the 29th Sultan of Kelantan. He is the Head of ...

at the time on 8 November 1977 upon the request of the federal government following a political impasse and street violence in Kelantan. This was the fifth declaration of emergency in Malaya and Malaysia after the 1948-1960

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces ...

, the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, the 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis and the 13 May Incident.

Events leading up to the declaration of emergency

The

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 ...

(Chief Minister) of Kelantan in 1977 was

Mohamed Nasir Dato' Haji Mohamed bin Nasir ( ms, محمد بن ناصر, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 1916 – 21 February 1997) was a Malaysian politician. He served as the fifteenth Menteri Besar of Kelantan from 1973 to 1978. Mohamed founded ...

of the

Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party The Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS; ms, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; ms, ڤرتي إسلام سمليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is an Islamist political party in Malaysia. As the party focused on Islamic fundamentalism, PAS ...

(PAS). At that time and since 1972, PAS was part of the Alliance Party and subsequently

Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...

(BN) (after 1974), which is the federal government-ruling coalition party. In 1977, Mohamad Nasir was experiencing dissatisfaction within PAS and was accused of defying party instructions. A no-confidence motion was tabled in the state assembly wherein 20 PAS assemblymen supported the motion while the other BN's 13

United Malays National Organisation 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 ...

(UMNO) and 1

Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...

(MCA) assemblymen walked out in protest. Mohamad Nasir refused to resign. He then requested the Regent of Kelantan (as head of state) to dissolve the state assembly to make way for an election but it was refused. Supporters of Mohamad Nasir then demonstrated in the streets resulting in violence and looting.

Declaration of emergency and aftermath

On 8 November 1977 the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, then also the

, declared a

in the state of Kelantan. The Emergency Powers (Kelantan) Act 1977 was passed by Parliament the next day giving the federal government implied power to govern the state. Although being part of the Barisan Nasional coalition, 12 out of 14 PAS members of Parliament had opposed the passing of the Act. Consequently, PAS was expelled from the BN coalition. During the emergency, Mohamad Nasir retained the post of Mentri Besar but with limited powers as the ultimate executive power was vested in the Director of the State Government of Kelantan which was appointed by the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

under the Emergency Powers (Kelantan) Act 1977.

Hashim Aman Hashim bin Aman (1 September 1929 – 21 May 2018) was a Malaysian civil servant who served as the 7th Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia from 1980 to 1984. Early life and education He was born on 1 September 1929 in Kampung Chembong ...

was appointed to the interim position during the period of emergency. In March 1978, an election was held in Kelantan, months ahead of the national election. The election was contested by PAS, UMNO and

Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front (, Jawi: باريسن جماعه اسلاميه سمليسيا often known by its ; acronym: BERJASA) is a political party in Malaysia. The party is part of a Malay-Islam based coalition named "Gerakan Tanah Air" ...

(BERJASA), a new party formed by Mohamad Nasir. UMNO won the election by winning 23 seats, while BERJASA won 11 and PAS with 2 seats paving way for UMNO to form government in Kelantan for the first time. After the election, BERJASA joined Barisan Nasional and Mohamad Nasir became a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...

in the federal government while

Mohamed Yaacob Mohamed bin Yaacob (3 January 1926 – 8 September 2009) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 17th Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Kelantan from 1978 to 1990. Honours * : ** Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malays ...

of UMNO became the new Menteri Besar of Kelantan. Mohammed Yaacob retained the post until 1990 after PAS regained control of Kelantan.

References

{{Portal bar, Malaysia, politics Riots and civil disorder in Malaysia Political history of Malaysia 1977 in Malaysia 1978 in Malaysia History of Kelantan Protests in Malaysia Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front