Tun Muhammad Ghazali bin Shafie (Jawi: محمد غزالي بن شافعي; 22 March 1922 – 24 January 2010)[1] was a Malaysian politician and diplomat. He served under the administrations of four Prime Ministers, most notably as Minister of Home and Foreign Affairs from 1973 to 1984.
Muhammad Ghazali Shafie
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محمد غزالي شافعي | |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 17 July 1981 – 16 July 1984 | |
Monarchs | Ahmad Shah Iskandar |
Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
Deputy | Mokhtar Hashim (1981–1983) Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir (1983–1984) |
Preceded by | Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail |
Succeeded by | Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail |
Constituency | Lipis |
Minister of Home Affairs | |
In office 13 August 1973 – 16 July 1981 | |
Monarchs | Abdul Halim Yahya Petra Ahmad Shah |
Prime Minister | Abdul Razak Hussein Hussein Onn |
Deputy | Abdul Samad Idris (1973–1976) Shariff Ahmad (1976–1978) Rais Yatim (1978) Syed Ahmad Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin (1978–1980) Sanusi Junid (1980–1981) |
Preceded by | Ismail Abdul Rahman |
Succeeded by | Musa Hitam |
Constituency | Lipis |
Minister of Information Minister with Special Functions | |
In office 22 April 1971 – 24 August 1974 | |
Monarch | Abdul Halim |
Prime Minister | Abdul Razak Hussein |
Deputy | Shariff Ahmad (1973–1974) |
Preceded by | Hamzah Abu Samah as Minister of Information and Broadcasting |
Succeeded by | Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail |
Constituency | Senator Lipis |
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 12 February 1959 – 21 September 1970 | |
Preceded by | Nik Ahmad Kamil Nik Mahmud |
Succeeded by | Zaiton Ibrahim Ahmad |
Personal details | |
Born | (1922-03-22)22 March 1922 Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
Died | 24 January 2010(2010-01-24) (aged 87) Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |
Resting place | Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur |
Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) |
Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) |
Spouse | Khatijah Abdul Majid |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | University College of Wales London School of Economics |
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Ghazali was born in 1922 in Kuala Lipis, Pahang.[2] He was of Minangkabau descent from Rao, West Sumatra.[3] He was part of the clandestine resistance to the Japanese occupation of MalayainWorld War II. He then studied at the University of Wales and the London School of Economics.[4]
During the Malayan Emergency, Ghazali fully supported British military attempts to crush a pro-independence uprising led by the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), the armed wing of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). Writing in The Times newspaper, Ghazali openly supported the killing and public display of the corpses of people suspected to have been members of the MNLA.[5]
After a career in the civil service, Ghazali entered politics.[4] He served as Home and Information Minister from 1973 to 1981, and was then appointed as Foreign Minister until 1984. He represented the Parliamentary seat of Lipis from 1974, before which he was a member of the Dewan Negara (upper house of parliament).[6] As Foreign Minister, he was known for his role in ASEAN's diplomacy in respect of conflict in Cambodia.[4] Described as a "flamboyant politician",[4] his nickname was "King Ghaz".[6]
On 11 January 1982, Ghazali survived an aeroplane crash in which he was the pilot. His bodyguard and co-pilot were killed.[6] There had been reports (for example in the New York Times[7]) that Ghazali had been killed in the crash.[8] A coroner later blamed the accident on what the coroner found to be Ghazali's negligence.[9]
After leaving politics, he held a range of positions in the corporate sector and with international organisations.[2]
Ghazali died on 24 January 2010 at 7.45pm, at his home in Subang Jaya.[10] His wife, Toh Puan Khatijah Abdul Majid, died in April 2008. They are survived by his two sons, Bachtiar and Sheriffudin.[11] He was buried at Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.[12]
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
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1972 | P064 Lipis, Pahang | Ghazali Shafie (UMNO) | 15,702 | 81.33% | Tengku Kamarulzaman Tengku Hamid (PMIP) | 3,605 | 18.67% | 12,097 | ||||
1974 | P065 Lipis, Pahang | Ghazali Shafie (UMNO) | Unopposed | |||||||||
1978 | Ghazali Shafie (UMNO) | 14,778 | 69.92% | Kasim Yahya (PMIP) | 3,199 | 15.13% | 11,579 | |||||
Wan Abdul Rahman Wan Ibrahim (IND) | 3,160 | 14.95% | ||||||||||
1982 | Ghazali Shafie (UMNO) | 15,094 | 61.07% | S. Nadarajan (DAP) | 5,477 | 22.16% | 25,703 | 9,617 | 70.74% | |||
Kasim Yahya (PAS) | 4,145 | 16.77% |