First Rahman cabinet

First Rahman cabinet
1st Cabinet of Malaya
People and organisations
Head of state	Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Head of government	Tunku Abdul Rahman
Deputy head of government	Abdul Razak Hussein
Member parties	Alliance Party United Malays National Organisation Malayan Chinese Association Malayan Indian Congress
Status in legislature	UMNO led coalition majority government 53 / 98
Opposition party	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party
History
Election(s)	Malayan general election, 1955
Outgoing election	Malayan general election, 1959
Incoming formation	Rahman I Cabinet formation, 1955
Outgoing formation	Rahman II Cabinet formation, 1959
Successor	Second Rahman cabinet

Tunku Abdul Rahman formed the first Rahman cabinet after being invited to begin a new government following the 27 July 1955 general election in Malaysia. Upon receiving the assent of the Rulers of the Malay States, the composition of the cabinet was announced by the High Commissioner of the Federation of Malaya, Donald MacGillivray, from King's House on 4 August 1955. The cabinet was sworn on 9 August 1955, by the Chief Justice of Malaya, Prethaser.

The swearing in of this cabinet marked the first time the majority of the Executive were members directly elected by Malayans and this was also the last cabinet to hold office under the British protectorate. Only four portfolios, the Chief Secretary to the Government, Secretary of Finance, Attorney General and the Secretary of State, remained directly appointed by High Commissioner and were helmed by British officials.^[1]

The tenure of the cabinet extended beyond the independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957, although it was reshuffled with the addition of new portfolios following independence and was only dissolved with the first post-independence general elections was called on 19 August 1959.

This is a list of the members of the first cabinet of the first Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya (then Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya), Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Composition[]

Members of the Cabinet of the Federation of Malaya, 1955: Sitting from the left: C.J. Thomas (Secretary of Finance), H. S. Lee (Minister of Transport), Tunku Abdul Rahman (Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs), Donald MacGillivray (High Commissioner), D.J. Watherson (Chief Secretary), J.P. Hogan (Attorney General), and Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman (Minister of Natural Resources). Standing from the left: Bahaman Samsuddin (Deputy Minister of Home Affairs), Abdul Razak Hussein (Minister of Education), O.J. Spencer (Secretary of Economy), Abdul Aziz Ishak (Minister of Agriculture), A.H.P. Humphrey (Secretary of Defence), Suleiman Abdul Rahman (Minister of Local Government, Housing and Town Planning), V. T. Sambanthan (Minister of Labour), Sardon Jubir (Minister of Works), Leong Yew Koh (Minister of Health), Ong Yoke Lin (Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Posts), A.S.H. Kemp (Secretary of State), and Too Joon Hing (Deputy Minister of Education).

Full members[]

The federal cabinet consisted of the following ministers:^[2][3]

Deputy and assistant ministers[]

See also[]

• Members of the Federal Legislative Council (1955–59)

References[]