Musa bin Hitam ( Jawi: موسى بن هيتم; born 18 April 1934) is a

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n retired politician who served as the

Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia The deputy prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the second-highest political office in Malaysia. There have been 15 officeholders since the office was created in 1957. The first prime minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, started the convent ...

from 1981 to 1986, serving under

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

. He was the chairman of Sime Darby Berhad.

Early life and education

Musa bin Hitam was born on 18 April 1934 in

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 ...

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

, to a Malay father of Javanese descent and a mother of Chinese descent, who was adopted by and grew up in a Malay household at the age of five. Musa continued his studies at the

English College Johore Bahru The English College Johore Bahru, also known as Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar, abbreviated as English College, EC, MSAB, The college, and sometimes dubbed "The Pride Of Johore", is an old premier secondary school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys school ...

. He received his bachelor's degree from the

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

and his master's degree from the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

. He has since been awarded with various honours, including an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex and an Honorary Doctorate from

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

(in 1980). Musa has held various posts at the international level at various times. These included being Chairman of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

, Member of the Board of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, Leader of the Commonwealth Observer Delegation to the

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

general elections and Member of the Commonwealth Ministers Delegations to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

and

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

Political career

In the 1960s, Musa was briefly served as Acting Secretary-General of UMNO. He was later expelled from the party in the wake of the 13 May racial rioting for insubordination to Prime Minister and UMNO President

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 ...

. During his political exile, he obtained his Master's from the University of Sussex. In 1971, he was readmitted to UMNO under the Tunku's successor,

Abdul Razak Hussein Abdul Razak bin Dato’ Hussein (; 11 March 1922 – 14 January 1976) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the second prime minister of Malaysia from 1970 until his death in 1976. He also served as the first Deputy Prime Minis ...

. He rose quickly, becoming Deputy Whip of the

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 in Parliament, and was elected as a member of the UMNO Supreme Council. He was elected as a UMNO Vice-President in 1978. When

succeeded

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 ...

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 ...

, he declared the election for the Deputy Presidency of UMNO open; and thus by extension the Deputy Prime Ministership — was open; he would not support any candidate. Musa Hitam faced

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: تڠکو غزالي بن تڠکو محمد حمزة; born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who served as the Dewan Rakyat, Member of Parliament (MP) for Gu ...

in 1981 the party election. Eventually, Musa won the election with 722 votes to Razaleigh's 517 votes, becoming the new Deputy President and Deputy Prime Minister. Razaleigh blamed himself for taking "a rather passive stance" and not having a campaign strategy.

Government positions

Before becoming

's fifth Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs in 1981–1986, Musa held a number of key government posts, including * Chairman of the Federal Land Development Authority (

FELDA Felda may refer to: * Felda (Ohm), a river of Hesse, Germany * Felda (Werra), a river of Thuringia, Germany * Felda, Florida, an unincorporated community in Hendry County, Florida * Felda United F.C., a Malaysian football club * Federal Land D ...

) * Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry (1970–1974) * Minister of Primary Industries (1974–1978); and * Minister of Education (1978–1981). * Deputy Prime Minister (1981–1987) In September 1981, Musa Hitam served as Acting Prime Minister when

went on a two-week vacation with his family to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. Musa retired and was replaced by

Ghafar Baba Abdul Ghafar bin Baba (; 18 February 1925 – 23 April 2006) was a Malaysian politician who served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1986 to 1993. Life and career He was born on 18 February 1925 in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, ...

as Deputy Prime Minister in 1986.

Post-political career

In 1987, Tengku Razaleigh challenged

for the presidency of

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 ...

. Musa Hitam, who was then having a growing rift with Mahathir, resigned as Deputy Prime Minister, citing irreconcilable differences with Mahathir.Putra, Tunku Abdul Rahman (1986). ''Political Awakening'', p. 86. Pelanduk Publications. . He then joined Razaleigh's Team B as UMNO deputy president candidate. In the election, Dr. Mahathir and his Team A managed to retain his position and power over the party. However, UMNO was split into two separate entities as Tengku Razaleigh was left unsatisfied with the result. The split forced the Malaysian court to declare

as illegal. Shortly after the court ruling, Dr. Mahathir reestablished UMNO as UMNO Baru (New UMNO), though the new UMNO was badly weakened. Tengku Razaleigh at the same time went on his own path and found a new political party called Semangat 46 in 1989. The number 46 refers to the year UMNO was founded. Musa, however, decided to retire from politics and has not joined the fray since. Between 1990 and 1991, he was Malaysia's Special Envoy to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, and since 1995 he has been the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). Tan Sri Musa also led the Malaysian delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights from 1993 to 1998 and was elected Chairman of the 52nd Session of the Commission in 1995. As a member of UMNO, Musa has held various positions within the party up to Deputy President until 1987. He also served as the Chairman of

Suhakam The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) better known by its acronym SUHAKAM is the National human rights institutions, national human rights institution (NHRI) of Malaysia. It was established by the Parliament of Malaysia ...

, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, from 1999 till 2002. In 2007, Musa became the chairman of Synergy Drive Berhad, the entity which arose out of the newly formed merger between Sime Darby, Guthrie, and Golden hope Plantations. He also serves on the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Doha Center. Musa is currently the Chairman of the World Islamic Economic Foundation. On 25 September 2024, Tun Musa Hitam appointed as the Grand Chancellor of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...

for three year-tenure, until 12 September 2027.

Personal life

Musa was married to Datin Ines Maria Reyna, a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian of Spanish descent, whom he first met at

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

in 1959 as an international student. They had 3 children: Mariana, Carlos Abdul Rashid and Rosana. Carlos was killed together with his wife Rozina Datuk Abu Bakar, a news anchor on TV3 during the Highland Towers collapse on 11 December 1993. Musa is now married to Toh Puan Zulaikha Sheardin. His daughter Mariana died on 5 November 2022.

Election results

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Grand Commander of the

(SSM) – Tun (2006) ** Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(PMN) – Tan Sri (1994) * : ** Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Grand 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 ...

(SPMJ) – Dato' (1973) ** MY-JOH Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor ribbon bar

Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor (SSIJ) – Dato' (1977) ** Sultan_Ibrahim_Coronation_Medal_ribbon

First Class of the Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS I) (1982) * : ** MY-MAL Exalted Order of Malacca

Knight Grand Commander of the Premier and Exalted Order of Malacca (DUNM) – Datuk Seri Utama (1982) * : ** MY-NEG Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (SPNS) – Dato' Seri Utama (1982) * : ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - SPDK

Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1984) * : ** MY-SEL Order of the Crown of Selangor - Knight Grand Commander - SPMS

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SPMS) – Dato' Seri (1982)

Foreign honour

* : **

Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(2018)

Notes and references

External links

FELDA Official site
{{Authority control 1934 births Alumni of the University of Sussex Deputy prime ministers of Malaysia Government ministers of Malaysia Living people People from Johor Bahru Malaysian Muslims Malaysian politicians of Malay descent Malaysian politicians of Chinese descent Malaysian people of Javanese descent Former United Malays National Organisation politicians Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Ministers of education of Malaysia Home ministers of Malaysia University of Malaya alumni Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor Grand Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu Malaysian MPs 1964–1969 Malaysian MPs 1971–1974 Malaysian MPs 1974–1978 Malaysian MPs 1978–1982 Malaysian MPs 1982–1986 Malaysian MPs 1986–1990