Abdullah Ahmad

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This article is about the Malaysian journalist. For the Malaysian Prime Minister, see Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. For the Islamic cleric, see Abdullah Ahmad (cleric). For the Morocco citizen held in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, see Abdullah Tabarak Ahmad.

Tan Sri Abdullah bin Ahmad (4 July 1937 – 12 June 2016)[1][2] was a Malaysian journalist and politician from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). At one time, he was the editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times.

He coined the concept of a "social contract" which justified his party's government bestowing special treatments and rights towards Malaysia's dominant Malay population despite given without any constitutional backing as claimed, during a speech in Singapore in 1989.[3]

On 12 November 2003, he wrote an article criticising Saudi Arabian policies that aided the United States invasion of Iraq, among other things. As a result, the Saudi government reduced Malaysian quota for haj.[4] On 21 November of the same year, he "was fired without warning by the daily's management at the request of the ruling UMNO party following a complaint by the Saudi ambassador in Malaysia." UMNO, which is part of the ruling government and holding equity in the papers later stated that he had jeopardised Malaysia's close relationship with Saudi Arabia. He had a contract that was supposed to expire in October 2004.[5]

Ahmad died on 12 June 2016, after battling cancer. He was 79.[6] His body was brought back to his hometown in  [ms], Kelantan.

Honour[]

Honour of Malaysia[]

  •  Malaysia : Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) (1999)[7]

References[]

  1. ^ "Dato Seri Abdullah Bin Ahmad". National Archives of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Dato Seri Abdullah Bin Ahmad". National Archives of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2018. (in Malay)
  3. ^ Fatimah Zainal; Chung, Clarrisa (24 March 2019). "Experts: 'Social contract' never in the Constitution". The Star. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  4. ^ The Straits Times. New Straits Times chief editor sacked Archived 6 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Extracted 26 March 2006.
  5. ^ Reporters without borders. New Straits Times editor in chief fired as a result of Saudi pressure Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Extracted 26 March 2006.
  6. ^ Former NST boss Abdullah Ahmad dies of cancer
  7. ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".


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