Dato' Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay honorific title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Use of the title various between locations, in some ...

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Onn bin Dato' Jaafar (; 12 February 1895 – 19 January 1962) was a Malayan politician who served as the 7th

Menteri Besar of Johor The Menteri Besar of Johor or Chief Minister of Johor is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Johor. According to convention, the Menteri Besar is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Johor State Legisla ...

from 1947 to 1950. His organised opposition towards the creation of the

Malayan Union The Malayan Union (; Jawi: كساتوان مالايا) was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single g ...

(by the returning British colonial power after the end of the

Japanese occupation of Malaya Malaya, then under British administration,, was gradually occupied by Japanese forces between 8 December 1941 and the Allied surrender at Singapore on 15 February 1942. The Japanese remained in occupation until their surrender to the Allie ...

) led him to form the

United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation (Abbreviation, abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a Conservatism, conservative, Nationalism, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its ince ...

(UMNO) in 1946; he was UMNO's founder and its first president until his resignation in 1951. He was famously known as the pioneer of organised

anti-imperialism Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is opposition to imperialism or neocolonialism. Anti-imperialist sentiment typically manifests as a political principle in independence struggles against intervention or influen ...

and

early Malay nationalism Malay nationalism (, Jawi: ) refers to the nationalism that focused overwhelmingly on the Malay anticolonial struggle, motivated by the nationalist ideal of creating a ''Bangsa Melayu'' ("Malay nation"). Its central objectives were the advanc ...

within Malaya, which eventually culminated with the Malayan independence from Britain. He was also responsible for the social and economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the

Rural Industrial Development Authority Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA; ) is a Malaysian government agency. It was formed to aid, train, and guide Bumiputra ( Malays and other indigenous Malaysians) in the areas of business and industry. MARA was formed on 1 March 1966, under the Rural ...

(RIDA). His son

Hussein Onn Hussein bin Onn (; 12 February 1922 – 29 May 1990) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1976 to 1981. Early life, family and education Hussein Onn was born on 12 February 1922 in Jo ...

was the third

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the Government of Malaysia, federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister who is a membe ...

, his grandson,

Hishammuddin Hussein Hishammuddin bin Hussein ( Jawi: هشام الدين بن حسين; born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served as Senior Minister of the Security Cluster and Minister of Defence from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Unite ...

is a senior

UMNO The United Malays National Organisation ( abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a conservative, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its inception in 1946), UMNO has been known as ...

politician, and his great-grandson

Onn Hafiz Ghazi Onn Hafiz bin Ghazi (; born 2 March 1979) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 19th Menteri Besar of Johor and Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Machap since March 2022. He previously served as MLA for Layan ...

is the current Member of the

Johor State Legislative Assembly The Johor State Legislative Assembly () is the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is composed of 56 members who are elected from single-member constituencies throughout the state. Elections are held no more than five yea ...

for Layang-Layang and 19th

Early years

Onn's father was

Jaafar Muhammad Jaafar bin Haji Muhammad ( Jawi: جعفر بن محمد, b. 1838 – d. 3 July 1919) D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G. was the first and longest serving '' Dato' Menteri Besar'' (Chief Minister) of the independent kingdom of Johor (today a state in the F ...

, the former Chief Minister of Johor. His mother was Roquaiya Hanim (also spelled Rogayah Hanim or Rukiye Hanım; 1864–1904), who came from the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, and was either of Circassian or Georgian origin. She was likely presented as a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

by the Ottoman court to the Sultan of Johor. His mother was married three times and the last time was with his father. As Onn Jaafar's family had close relations with the Johor palace, Sultan Ibrahim treated him as an adopted son. He started his education in a Malay school in Johor Bahru. In 1904, he went to England to attend Aldeburgh Lodge School, a private school in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, with the then Tunku Mahkota of Johor until 1910. He excelled in sports and captained the school's cricket and football teams. He returned to Malaya and was enrolled at the

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

(MCKK) where he studied there for two years from 1910 to 1911. According to biographer Ramlah Adam, one of the main reasons for him to enroll at MCKK was the need to improve his Malay language proficiency that had weakened considerably following his time in England. After graduating from MCKK, he worked as a trainee clerk at the Johor Government Secretary office and was made a permanent clerk a year later. He served in this capacity in several departments before joining the

Johor Military Forces The Royal Johor Military Force (Abbr.: JMF; ; “Johor State’s Loyal Deputy Army”) ( Jawi: ) is an independent military force of the state of Johor and the private royal guard of Sultan of Johor in Malaysia. The JMF is Malaysia's oldest act ...

in 1917 with the rank of lieutenant. Two years later, he rejoined the civil service. Soon after, he found himself in trouble with the Johor palace after expressing his unhappiness over the sale of his family's ancestral home. The royal palace did not take the issue kindly and terminated his service in June 1920. He rejoined the service again in 1921 as an Assistant Collector of Land Revenue.

Malay nationalism and politics

Early Malay nationalism Malay nationalism (, Jawi: ) refers to the nationalism that focused overwhelmingly on the Malay anticolonial struggle, motivated by the nationalist ideal of creating a ''Bangsa Melayu'' ("Malay nation"). Its central objectives were the advanc ...

took root in Johor during the 1920s, he became a journalist and wrote articles on the welfare of the Malays. Some of Onn's articles were critical of Sultan Ibrahim's policies, which led to strained personal relations with the Sultan. In 1927, Sultan Ibrahim expelled Onn from Johor after he published an article in the ''Sunday Mirror'', a Singapore-based English tabloid, which criticised the Sultan's poor treatment of the Johor Military Forces personnel and the welfare of the

Orang Asli The Orang Asli are a Homogeneity and heterogeneity, heterogeneous Indigenous peoples, indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted f ...

. He went into exile in Singapore and became the editor of a Malay paper, ''Warta Malaya'', in 1930. Over the next six years, he edited four other newspapers including the ''Lembaga Malaya'', ''Warta Ahad'' and ''Lembaga''. Onn became very popular after he continued to cover issues on Malay grievances, and Sultan Ibrahim invited Onn to return to Johor in 1936.Aristocrat who spoke his mind
. 18 June 2007. '' The Star''. In 1941, following the

, Onn was drafted into the administrative system and served as a food controller in Johor. Onn, along with his companions,

Haji Anwar bin Abdul Malik Haji Anwar bin Haji Abdul Malik (1898 – 31 January 1998) was a Malaysian politician. Anwar along with, Dato' Onn Jaafar, Tan Sri, Mohamed Noah Omar, Haji Syed Alwi bin Syed Sheikh al-Hadi, and Dato' Syed Abdul Kadir Mohamed formed the Unit ...

, Haji Syed Alwi bin Syed Sheikh al-Hadi and

Mohamed Noah Omar Mohamed Noah bin Omar ( Jawi: محمد نوح بن عمر‎; 13 August 1897 – 6 September 1991) was a Malaysian politician, nationalist, and businessman. He was a founding member and the first chairman of the United Malays National Organisa ...

, founded the

(UMNO) as a means to rally the Malays against the

, which was perceived as threatening Malay privileges and the position of the Malay rulers. Onn took up the role of

's president on 1 May 1946.

Malayan Union

The

proposal provided that United Kingdom had full administrative powers over the Malay states except in areas pertaining spiritual and

moral authority Moral authority is authority premised on principles, or fundamental truths, which are independent of written, or positive laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change the princip ...

of the Malay rulers, which the Malays held in high esteem. Communal tensions between the Malays and

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

were high, and the prospect of granting citizenship to non-Malays was deemed unacceptable to the Malays.Bayly, Harper, ''Forgotten wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia'', pg 133-4 In particular, politicians in Johor were extremely unhappy with the willingness of Sultan Ibrahim to sign the treaties with

Harold MacMichael Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael (15 October 1882 – 19 September 1969) was a British colonial administrator who served as High Commissioner for Palestine. Early life and career Educated at Bedford School, MacMichael graduated with a first from ...

, and voiced out that the Sultan had violated the terms in the

Johor State Constitution The Johor State Constitution (; Jawi: ) is the state constitution of Johor, promulgated on 14 April 1895 by Sultan Abu Bakar. The contents of the constitution covers: * The procedures for the selection and coronation of the Sultan of Johor, as we ...

which explicitly forbade any foreign powers to assume legitimate control over the state. Prior to February 1946, seven political dissidents led by Awang bin Hassan organised a rally to protest against the Sultan's decision to sign the treaties, and Onn Jaafar, who was then serving as a district officer in

Batu Pahat The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram. Geograph ...

, was invited to attend the rally. The rally was held on 1 February 1946 at the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque, and protesters shouted nationalistic slogans and called for the dethronement of Sultan Ibrahim and accused him for committing treason against the

Malay race The concept of a Malay race was originally proposed by the German physician Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840), and classified as a brown race. ''Malay'' is a loose term used in the late 19th century and early 20th century to describe ...

by signing the treaties. News of the rally reached Sultan Ibrahim on 22 February, who was then residing at

Grosvenor House Hotel ] JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, formerly the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. Across from Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, the hotel is built on the former site of the 19th ...

in London. Sultan Ibrahim approached the colonial office and withdrew his support of the proposal, but this did not appease the political dissidents and Onn continued to organise more rallies in the other Malay states to muster further support for his calls against the

, and formed the

(UMNO) in May. To appease the Malays and the UMNO leaders, including Onn himself, Sultan Ibrahim personally donated a lump sum of $5,000 to

and Onn was appointed the Menteri Besar of Johor in 1946. The establishment of the

Federation of Malaya Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It succeeded the Malayan Union and, before that, British Malaya. It comprised eleven states – nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settleme ...

did not go down well with the ethnic Chinese, as favourable conditions for obtaining citizenship for the Chinese and other non-Malays were withdrawn. The

Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (Abbreviation, abbrev: MCA; Malay language, Malay: ''Persatuan Cina Malaysia''), formerly known as the Malayan Chinese Association, is an ethnic List of political parties in Malaysia, political party in Malaysi ...

(MCA) was formed in 1949 under the leadership of a

Straits Chinese The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British, Portuguese, and Dutch colonial ports i ...

businessman,

Tan Cheng Lock Tun Sir Cheng Lock Tan KBE, SMN, DPMJ, JP () (5 April 1883 – 13 December 1960) was a Malaysian Peranakan businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese com ...

who frequently raised grievances over the citizenship terms that were set when the Federation was established. As a result, communal tensions between the Malays and Chinese surfaced, and Onn kept his distance from Tan. Tan encountered initial difficulties with meeting Sultan Ibrahim, who was not accustomed to working with Chinese businessmen. Sultan Ibrahim also became increasingly disappointed in Onn's work commitment, whom he saw as neglecting state affairs as a result of his commitments towards

. In early 1950, Sultan Ibrahim approached Onn, who was asked to choose between committing his efforts for

and the state. Onn chose to the former, and resigned as the Menteri Besar of Johor in May.

Leaving UMNO

Onn became increasingly disillusioned and disgusted with what he considered to be

's race-based communalist policies, and called for party membership to be opened to all Malayans of all races, and for

to be renamed as the United Malayans National Organisation. He left the party on 26 August 1951 after his recommendations went unheeded, and formed the

Independence of Malaya Party The Independence of Malaya Party () was a political party in British-ruled Malaya that stood for political independence. Founded by Onn Ja'afar after he left UMNO in 1951, it opposed the UMNO policy of Malay supremacy History The party wer ...

(IMP). However, the IMP failed to receive sufficient backing from Malayans, and eventually Onn left it to form the

Parti Negara The Parti Negara ( also spelled Party Negara) was a Malay-based political party which was formed by former leaders of the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP) in 1954, and formally launched in February 1954. It was founded by Dato Sir Onn Jaa ...

, which placed membership restrictions on non-Malays in an attempt to appeal to Malays. He won the Kuala Terengganu Selatan seat in the Malayan parliament in the 1959 elections under his new party. Neither party gained popular support against

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 19036 December 1990), commonly referred to as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970. He previously served as the only chief minister of Federation of Malaya ...

's new

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

coalition and he was eventually eclipsed in Malayan political life.

Death

Dato' Onn died at the age of 66, on 19 January 1962 at the Officers' Ward,

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...

. He was buried next to his father

's grave, at the

Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum The Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum () is a Royal Mausoleum of Johor located at Bukit Mahmoodiah in Jalan Mahmoodiah, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The first Sultan of Johor buried here was Abu Bakar of Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar in 1895. Besides that, the f ...

Awards and recognitions

Places named after him

* Bandar Dato' Onn, a suburb developed by the Johor Land Berhad in

, Johor * Bulatan Dato Onn, a small roundabout located next to the

Bank Negara Malaysia The Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM; ; Jawi: ) is the Malaysian central bank. Established on 26 January 1959 as the Central Bank of Malaya (''Bank Negara Tanah Melayu''), its main purpose is to issue currency, act as the banker and advisor to the ...

headquarters * Jalan Dato Onn, a street in Kuala Lumpur and was previously known as Jalan Brockman or Brockman Road * Menara Dato' Onn, the

general headquarters in Kuala Lumpur * Kolej Dato' Onn, a residential college at

National University of Malaysia The National University of Malaysia (, abbreviated as UKM) is a public research university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), ...

, Bangi, Selangor * Kolej Dato' Onn Jaafar, a residential college at

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) () is a Malaysian public research-intensive university ranked 188th in the world by QS University rankings. Its medium of instruction is English. Campuses UTM has three campuses – the main campus is in ...

, Skudai, Johor * Kolej Dato' Onn, a residential college at

Universiti Teknologi MARA The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university in Malaysia, based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to ...

, Machang, Kelantan * SK Dato' Onn Jaafar, One of the component schools within the Sekolah Wawasan in

Subang Jaya Subang Jaya is a city in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third district of Petaling. It consists of the neighbourhoods from SS12 to SS19, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), Putra Heights, Batu Tiga as well as PJS7, PJ ...

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* **

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Johor The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor ( Malay: ''Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an Order of chivalry awarded by the Sultan of Johor. It was first instituted on July 31, 1886. It is awarded in three classes: *Knight Grand Co ...

(DPMJ) – Dato' (1941) ** Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor - ribbon bar

Second Class of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK II) (1947) * ** Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of Cura Si Manja Kini Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

(SPCM) – Dato' Seri (2015)

Foreign honours

* ** Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE) – Sir (1953)

Election result

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Zaefrul Nordin in the 2007 film '' 1957: Hati Malaya'' directed by

Shuhaimi Baba Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba (born 27 January 1967), is a Malaysian film director. She was born in Negeri Sembilan. Filmography Film Television Honour * : ** Knight Companion of the Order of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (DSIS) – Datin P ...