Othman Saat
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From Johor Bahru Directory
| Othman Saat was the 3rd Menteri Besar of Johor (1967-1982). |
| Fast Facts | |
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| Yang Amat Berhormat Tan Sri Othman Saat | |
| In office 1967 – 1982 | |
| Succeeded by | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Born | 4 April 1927 Muar, Johor |
| Died | 27 October 2007 27 October, 2007 (aged 80) |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation - Barisan Nasional |
| Religion | Islam |
Tan Sri Othman bin Saat (1927 – 2007) was the 3rd Menteri Besar of Johor (1967-1982). A luxury car enthusiast, he at one time owned 50 types of cars, including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Daimler, Jaguar, and Mercedes.
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2. Brief biography: Born in Muar, the youngest of 3 sons to a wealthy rice merchant, Othman Saat studied at the Sekolah Tinggi Arab Madrasah Al-Attas in Johor Bahru, and then undertook a 2-year course in Mecca. After his return at the age of 16, he began his career by helping out in his father's business. According to Othman, his family was the richest family in Muar and probably, also in the state of Johor, between the 1930s to the 1980s.
Othman Saat's political career began in the 1940s with the Malay nationalism movement. He joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) when it was established in Batu Pahat by Dato' Onn Ja'afar in 1946. In 1955, then aged 28, Othman Saat won the Jorak state assembly seat uncontested in the general election. He was appointed the 3rd Menteri Besar of Johor in 1967, then aged 40, holding the office for 3 terms until 1982.
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3. Political downfall: In April 1981, Tunku Mahmud Iskandar was reinstated as Tunku Mahkota, shortly before his father's death. However, some eyewitnesses challenged the legitimacy of Tunku Mahmud's reinstatement, arguing that they had witnessed that Sultan Ismail had already lapsed into a coma at the time of his appointment as the Regent.[1] Relations between Othman Saat and Tunku Mahmud deteriorated when he questioned Tunku Mahmud's legitimacy to the throne, leading to an incident which saw the newly-proclaimed Sultan issuing Othman Saat an order to vacate his office within 24 hours, shortly after Sultan Ismail's death. The now Sultan Mahmud Iskandar cited the need for that office space for his own, although he did not move in after Othman Saat heeded his order.[2] Othman Saat resigned as the Menteri Besar the following year, after being pressured by Musa Hitam, the newly-appointed Deputy Prime Minister.
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4. Death: Suffering from a mild stroke in 2001, then aged 74, Othman Saat's right leg was amputated just below his knee in 2007, due to gangrene. He died 25 days later at the Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) in Pandan, Johor Bahru at 7.00am, due to an infection that led to septicemia (blood poisoning) and was buried at Makam Mahmoodiah, also in Johor Bahru.
