Abdul Ghani Othman
|
From Johor Bahru Directory
| In 2006, Abdul Ghani created controversy when he called for the scraping of the "Bangsa Malaysia" concept, alleging that those advocating Bangsa Malaysia were echoing Lee Kuan Yew's call for a "Malaysian Malaysia", quite forgetting that the concept was first proposed by Tun Dr. Mahathir. |
| |
| Fast Facts | |
|---|---|
| Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Abdul Ghani Othman | |
| In office 6 May 1995 [1] – current | |
| Preceded by | Tan Sri Dato' Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Succeeded by | Current |
| Constituency | Serom |
| Ministry of Youth and Sports
| |
| In office 1 December 1993 – March 1995 | |
| Born | 14 November 1946 (age 65) Sungai Mati, Ledang, Muar, Johor |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), part of the Barisan Nasional |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Islam |
| Spouse | Datin Prof. Dr. Jamilah Ariffin |
Dato' Haji Abdul Ghani bin Othman (born 1946, age 65) is the current and 5th Menteri Besar of Johor since 1995. A member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), he is the Chairman of the UMNO Ledang Division, and Johor State Liaison Chairman, as well as a member of the UMNO Supreme Council.
| |
2. Brief biography: Born in Muar, Johor, Abdul Ghani became a lecturer at the Economics Faculty of Universiti Malaya after obtaining a Master's degree program in Economics at the University of Queensland. Within 6 years, he was promoted to Dean of the Economics Faculty (1980–1984).
Abdul Ghani's political career began in 1984, then aged 37, when he was appointed Senator (1984-1986). In 1986, he became a Member of Parliament for his home district of Ledang in Muar and was appointed Deputy Minister to two portfolios before becoming Minister of Youth and Sports (1993-1995). In 1995, then aged 48, Abdul Ghani was appointed the 5th Menteri Besar of Johor.
| |
3. Controversies: In 2006, Abdul Ghani created controversy, when he called for the scraping of the "Bangsa Malaysia" concept, alleging it to be a "nebulous concept" which overstepped the bounds of the Constitution of Malaysia. "Even if the term Bangsa Malaysia is to be used, it must only be applied in the context of all the peoples of Malaysia with the Malays as the pivotal race," he said,[2] obviously forgetting what the Prophet had reminded Muslims in his Last Sermon. Quite forgetting that the "Bangsa Malaysia" concept was first proposed by Tun Dr. Mahathir before he stepped down as Prime Minister, Abdul Ghani insisted that those advocating Bangsa Malaysia were echoing Lee Kuan Yew's call for a "Malaysian Malaysia" made during the early 1960s when Singapore was a state in Malaysia.[3]
Under Abdul Ghani's stewardship, the Johor state government accumulated a debt of RM841.13 million to the Federal Government by 2007.[4] According to him, the debts arose from various loans, including loans to carry out water supply and low-cost housing projects by Johor Corporation. What puzzled Johoreans was that in 1999, Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ) was already privatized to Lambang Optima Sdn Bhd (LOSB) and Sempurna Pelita Sdn Bhd (SPSB) as majority stakeholders, while Yayasan Pelajaran Johor held a minority stake of 20%.[5] Even so, Abdul Ghani was conferred the highest award in the State of Johor, DK (I), by Sultan Iskandar in 2009, an award normally given only to royals.
