Rais Yatim

Yang Berhormat Senator Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim PSM SJMK SPMP SSAP SPNS SPDK DSNS
رئيس يتيم‎
18th President of the Dewan Negara
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 September 2020
Monarch	Abdullah
Prime Minister	Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputy	Abdul Halim Abdul Samad (2020) Mohamad Ali Mohamad (since 2020)
Preceded by	Vigneswaran Sanasee
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 19 March 2008 – 9 April 2009
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy	Abdul Rahim Bakri
Preceded by	Syed Hamid Albar
Succeeded by	Anifah Aman
Constituency	Jelebu
In office 11 August 1986 – 7 May 1987
Monarch	Iskandar
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir
Preceded by	Ahmad Rithauddeen Ismail
Succeeded by	Abu Hassan Omar
Constituency	Jelebu
Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage
In office 27 March 2004 – 18 March 2008
Monarch	Sirajuddin Mizan Zainal Abidin
Prime Minister	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy	Wong Kam Hoong
Preceded by	Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir as Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism
Succeeded by	Shafie Apdal as Minister for National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Constituency	Jelebu
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
In office 15 December 1999 – 26 March 2004
Monarch	Salahuddin Sirajuddin
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy	Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar
Preceded by	Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali
Succeeded by	Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad
Constituency	Jelebu
Minister of Lands and Regional Development
In office 5 May 1982 – 17 July 1984
Monarch	Ahmad Shah Iskandar
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Preceded by	Shariff Ahmad
Succeeded by	Mohd. Adib Mohd. Adam
Constituency	Jelebu
8th Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan
In office 12 July 1978 – 29 April 1982
Monarch	Ja'afar
Preceded by
Succeeded by	Mohd Isa Abdul Samad
Constituency	Pertang
6th President of the International Islamic University Malaysia
In office 2 June 2013 – 1 June 2018
Chancellor	Ahmad Shah
Preceded by	Mohd Sidek Hassan
Succeeded by	Maszlee Malik
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Jelebu
In office 29 November 1999 – 5 May 2013
Preceded by	Yunus Rahmat (UMNO—BN)
Succeeded by	Zainuddin Ismail (UMNO—BN)
Majority	7,119 (1999) 14,780 (2004) 11,610 (2008)
In office 22 April 1982 – 20 October 1990
Preceded by	Abdul Samad Idris (UMNO—BN)
Succeeded by	Ibrahim Sareh (UMNO—BN)
Majority	16,802 (1982) 11,432 (1986)
In office 24 August 1974 – 8 July 1978
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Abdul Samad Idris (UMNO—BN)
Minister for Information, Communication and Culture (Minister of Information : 17 July 1984–10 August 1986)
In office 10 April 2009 – 5 May 2013
Monarch	Mizan Zainal Abidin Abdul Halim
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Deputy	Heng Seai Kie (2009–2010) Joseph Salang Gandum Maglin Dennis d'Cruz (2010–2013)
Preceded by	Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Information) Shaziman Abu Mansor (Communication) Shafie Apdal (Culture)
Succeeded by	Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Communication) Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Culture)
Constituency	Jelebu
In office 17 July 1984 – 10 August 1986
Monarch	Iskandar
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Mohd. Kassim Ahmed Ng Cheng Kuai
Preceded by	Mohd. Adib Mohd. Adam
Succeeded by	Ahmad Rithauddeen Ismail
Constituency	Jelebu
Personal details
Born	Rais bin Yatim (1942-04-15) 15 April 1942 (age 79) Kampung Gagu, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Japanese occupation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Citizenship	Malaysian
Political party	Malaysian United Indigenous Party (PPBM) (2018–present) United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (1967-1988; 1996–2018) Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46) (1989-1996)
Other political affiliations	Muafakat Nasional (MN) (2020-present) Perikatan Nasional (PN) (2020-present) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2018-2020) Barisan Nasional (BN) (1967-1988; 1996-2018) Gagasan Rakyat (GR) (1989-1996) Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU) (1990-1996)
Spouse(s)	Masnah Rais
Children	4
Residence	Taman Dataran Ukay, Hulu Kelang, Ampang Jaya, Selangor
Alma mater	University of Singapore (LLB) King's College London (PhD)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer

Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais bin Yatim (Jawi: رئيس بن يتيم; born 15 April 1942) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 18th President of the Dewan Negara since September 2020. He was a Cabinet Minister in multiple federal governments from 1974 to 2013 and the 8th Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 1978 to 1982. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Jelebu from November 1999 to May 2013.

He was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the leading party in previous ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, except for a period in the 1990s when he was a member of the opposition Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46). Presently he is a member of Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) and its Chairman of the state of Negeri Sembilan, a component party of the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) since he left UMNO to join BERSATU on 4 June 2018.^[1][2]

After leaving active politics he became the President of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) from 2013 to 2018.^[3]

Early life and education[]

Rais was born to a Minangkabau family in Kampung Gagu, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan.^[4] Rais has four siblings, namely Naam, Suri and Atan. During his childhood and adolescence, Rais interacted a lot with the Chinese community so that he could speak Cantonese well.

A lawyer by profession, he graduated from Language Institute (also known as Language Teaching College), Kuala Lumpur in 1964. Rais through early education Standard I and II at Sekolah Melayu Triang (now Sekolah Kebangsaan Teriang), then move on to the School of Malay Gagu and Government English School, Taipei, Kuala Klawang. While at GES, Rais's writing skills using elements of art and beautiful languages as well as his interest in reading began to take shape, which became the identity to his current writing and speaking style. He was exposed to Shakespeare’s dialogues especially King Henry V, Hamlet, Midsummer Night Dream, Romeo and Juliet and others.

After graduating from the Cambridge Senior School Certificate (CSC), Rais worked as a temporary teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Astana Raja, in Rembau. In 1963, Rais was accepted into the Language Teaching College (LI) as a trainee teacher for 2 years. While at LI, in addition to his duties as a trainee teacher, Rais produced many articles published by Utusan Zaman, Dewan Masharakat, Mastika and Dewan Bahasa. Rais enrolled at Stamford Collage and later went on to study Law at the University of Singapore.

At the University of Singapore, among the figures who became his lecturers were Ramachandran Naidu (former court interpreter in Kuala Lumpur), Sulaiman Abdullah (well - known lawyer) and Dr. Chandra Muzafar (former Vice President of PKR). Rais was very active in participating in debate and speech competitions at the University of Singapore and often met Chandra in the competition. He won the Beasley Shield Award for the general speech category, while Chandra won the debate competition.

He received his Bachelor of Laws LL.B (Hons.) In 1973 and obtained an A mark in the paper “Comparative Law” which refined on the comparison of Adat Perpatih with Common Law. Rais then continued his studies at the LL.M Master of Laws level at the same university.

In 1973 he became a lawyer and solicitor in the Kuala Lumpur High Court and then in 1998 became a lawyer in Singapore. In the same year, Rais set up the law firm of Ram Rais & Yap.

In 1965 to 1968, he taught Bahasa Malaysia to the American Peace Corps in the United States. Upon his return from the US, Rais taught English, History, Science and Drawing at Jelebu Law Secondary School and then in 1967, he was assigned to Bandar Tinggi Secondary School.

Rais also worked as a translator at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) in 1971 besides being a part-time lecturer in Commercial Law at Institut Teknologi Mara (now UiTM).

He subsequently obtained a doctorate (Ph.D) in law from King’s College University of London in 1994 and his thesis was Rule Of Law and Executive Supremacy in Malaysia. His doctoral dissertation was eventually published in 1995 as Freedom Under Executive Power in Malaysia: A Study of Executive Supremacy.^[5]

Career[]

Rais has held various positions in the national cabinet and other state government positions. He had been appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan (1978–1982), Minister of Land and Regional Development (1982–1984), Minister of Information (1984–1986) and Foreign Minister (1986–1987).

When he fell out of favour of the UMNO leadership in April 1987, he resumed his law career. He worked with a firm, Ram, Rais & Partner, from 1987 to 1999. During the 1990s he became the deputy leader of the opposition Semangat 46, a breakaway party led by UMNO members dissatisfied with Mahathir Mohamad's leadership. Like most Semangat 46 leaders, he rejoined UMNO by the end of the decade.^[6] Upon his return to the ministry in 1999, as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, he was effusive in his praise for Mahathir, who had outlasted the Semangat 46 movement with successive election victories.^[7] He held the ministry until the 2004 election, after which Abdullah Badawi, who had replaced Mahathir on his retirement, appointed him as Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage.^[8]

In June 2007, Rais was nominated as a candidate for the post of the next Commonwealth Secretary-General after Don McKinnon's term in office ended in March 2008. However, he pulled out on 26 July, citing the lateness of campaigning, and his duties and commitments as the Main Committee of the upcoming 50th Merdeka celebrations, which limited him from travelling out of the country to lobby for his candidacy.^[9]

Rais served another term as Foreign Minister from 18 March 2008 until 9 April 2009, when the incoming Prime Minister Najib Razak appointed him as the Minister for Information, Communications and Culture. He remained in that ministry until the 2013 election, when he was dropped as a parliamentary candidate.^[10] Speaking generally about Barisan Nasional's decision to drop a number of senior figures from its parliamentary lineup, Najib stated that it was to "satisfy the demands of voters who want to see Barisan Nasional and UMNO change and reform".^[11] Rais accepted the decision and called on fellow UMNO members to remain loyal to the party.^[12] Within a few months he was appointed as the President of the International Islamic University of Malaysia.^[13] On 16 June 2020, he was appointed as a senator in the Dewan Negara by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Personal life[]

He is married to Masnah Rais and has four children, namely Malini Rais, Dino Rais, Danni Rais and Ronni Rais. His hobbies are photography and travelling and arts-culture. Apart from being highly skilled in photography, Rais is also talented in drawing. He obtained an A mark in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examination. Rais even produced a large mural for Dunearn Road Hostel at the University of Singapore and the mural is still on display at Shears Hall Great Hall in Kent Ridge.

He is also an author and has written extensively on the subject of law, politics and the community and to date a total of 19 books (link below) have been produced by Rais.

Among the books he wrote are:

1. Pola-Pola Antropologi, Dewan Bahasa Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur, 1973 (Translation). 2. The Hierarchy of Adat Perpatih in Negeri Sembilan (1974). '3. Faces in the Corridors of Power – A Pictorial Depiction of Malaysians in Position of Power Pelanduk Publications, Lumpur (1987)' 4. Freedom Under Executive Power in Malaysia, Endowment Publications, Kuala Lumpur (1995) 5. Zaman Beredar Pusaka Bergilir (2000). 6. Jelebak-Jelebu : Corat-Coret Anak Kampung, Dawama Kuala Lumpur 2004. 7. Cabinet Governing in Malaysia, (2006), Dawama, Kuala Lumpur 8. Perjuangan Pri-Bumi (2009). 9. Perjuangan Asas Bangsa (2009). 10. Kabinet 1Malaysia: Mengimbas Kembali Tadbir Urus Kabinet (2011). 11. 1Malaysia Cabinet: Reflecting on Cabinet Governing (2011). 12. King Ghaz: A Man of His Time (Ed.) 2011. 13. Tunku: Still the Greatest Malaysian (Ed.) 2012. 14. Pantun & Bahasa Indah: Jendela Budaya Melayu (2013). 15. Meniti Badai Perjuangan (2013). 16. Adat: The Legacy of Minangkabau (2015) 17. Antara Cakap dan Fikir (2019). 18. Peribahasa Melayu-Cina (2020). 19. Budi Asas Tamadun (2021).'

Election results[]

Honours[]

Honours of Malaysia[]

•  Malaysia :
  • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Tan Sri (2013)^[14][15]
•  Kelantan :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (SJMK) - Dato' (2002)^[14]
•  Perlis :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Perlis (SPMP) - Dato' Seri (2010)^[14]
•  Pahang :
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) - Dato' Sri (2005)^[14]
•  Negeri Sembilan :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (DSNS) - Dato'
  • Principal Grand Knight of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (SPNS) - Dato' Seri Utama (2001)^[14]
•  Sabah :
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) - Datuk Seri Panglima (2010)^[14]

References[]

External links[]

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