View source for Aziz Ishak

{{Short description|Malaysian politician (1915–1999)}}

{{EngvarB|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Malay name|Abdul Aziz|Ishak|note=on}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = 
| name                = Abdul Aziz Ishak
| honorific-suffix    = 
| office              = [[Minister of Health (Malaysia)|Minister of Health and Social Welfare]]
| primeminister       = [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]]
| termstart           = 1960
| termend             = 1962
| predecessor         = [[Omar Ong Yoke Lin]]
| succeeded           = [[Lim Swee Aun]]
| office2             = 1st President of [[Parti Perhimpunan Kebangsaan]]
| term_start2         = 29 August 1963
| term_end2           = 13 February 1965
| predecessor2        = ''Position established''
| successor2          = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1915|10|7}}
| birth_place         = [[Terong]], [[Perak]], [[Federated Malay States]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1999|6|23|1915|10|7}}<ref>{{Citenews|title=Mantan menteri, Aziz Ishak, meninggal|last=Bernama|date=25 Jun 1999|newspaper=[[Berita Harian]]|work=|via=<!--NewspaperSG-->}}</ref>
| death_place         = [[Ampang, Kuala Lumpur|Ampang]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]]
| party               = [[Kesatuan Melayu Muda]] (until 1946)<br>[[Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya]] (until 1950)<br>[[Independence of Malaya Party]] (1951–1952)<br>[[United Malays National Organisation]] (1950–1951; 1953–1963)<br>[[Parti Perhimpunan Kebangsaan]] (1963–1965)
| image               = Aziz Ishak, 1933.png
| caption             = Aziz in 1933
}}
'''Abdul Aziz bin Ishak''' (1915–1999) was a Malaysian politician, activist and journalist. He was the only member of the [[Kesatuan Melayu Muda]] (KMM) to have served in the 1955 and post-[[Merdeka]] Cabinets under [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]].

Between 1955 and 1963, he was the Minister for Agriculture and Co-operatives, where his efforts in rural development to improve the lives of padi farmers and fishermen were important although less known compared with similar efforts undertaken by the Rural Development Ministry.<ref>https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/592475</ref>

Aziz's brother [[Yusof Ishak]] was the founder of [[Utusan Melayu]] and the first [[President of Singapore]] after its separation with [[Malaysia]] in 1965.<ref>https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/592475</ref>

==Early life==
Born in 1915 the state of [[Perak]], which was then part of the [[Federated Malay States]], Aziz Ishak is the descendant of prominent Sumatran Malay Datuk Jannatun who migrated to [[Penang]] in 1759 or 15 years before [[Francis Light]] arrived on the island.<ref>https://thepatriots.asia/aziz-ishak-menteri-sosialis-umno-yang-dilupakan-2/
</ref>

Aziz is of [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]] descent from his father's side while his mother is a native of [[Langkat Regency|Langkat]] regency in [[North Sumatra]] province of Indonesia.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060613123230/http://www.istana.gov.sg/FormerPresidents/YusofIshak/ The Istana – index]</ref> His brother, [[Yusof Ishak]] was the first [[President of Singapore]] and his face adorns the current [[Singapore dollar|paper currency of Singapore]] that is in circulation since 1999. Another brother was [[Abdul Rahim Ishak]], who served as Singapore's Education and Foreign Affairs Minister before assuming a number of ambassadorial positions.<ref>https://www.malaysianbar.org.my/article/news/legal-and-general-news/general-news/the-unknown-aziz-ishak</ref>

Denied entry into the [[Malay College Kuala Kangsar]] because of his non-aristocratic background, Aziz attended Victoria Bridge School (now [[Victoria School]]) and [[Raffles Institution]] in Singapore.<ref>https://www.orangperak.com/kisah-abdul-aziz-ishak-dari-trong-yang-berani.html</ref>

His time at Raffles was an important learning experience. He mixed well with students of various ethnic backgrounds and was the [[School Captain]] for two years, perhaps the only Malay to have held this distinction.

At Raffles, he formed a Malay literary association with friends including [[Abdul Hamid Jumat|Hamid Jumaat]], [[Tun Sardon Jubir]] and [[Ahmad Ibrahim (Singaporean politician)|Ahmad Ibrahim]] and contributed articles on the [[Malay people|Malays]] and their plight to Warta Malaya, a leading Malay newspaper in Singapore. This was done through his brother Yusof who was already working as a journalist.<ref>https://etd.uum.edu.my/3602/1/s93038.pdf</ref>

==Career==

===Colonial officer===
Upon completing his Senior Cambridge, Aziz joined the colonial service in the Fisheries Department-based initially in [[Port Dickson]] in 1936, followed by [[Kuantan]] and then Batu Kurau where he was responsible for the northern region.<ref>https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2007/08/06/aziz-kept-bucking-his-british-bosses</ref>

In [[Kuantan]], his sympathy for the Malay fishermen did not go down well with officials, notably the English district officer, while in Kuala Kurau his immediate boss wanted him to read books on fisheries only and not literary works.<ref>https://m.aliran.com/thinking-allowed-online/aziz-ishak-the-brave-journalist-who-stood-up-to-tiger-of-malaya-gerald-templer</ref>

===Journalism===
Frustrated with British officialdom and after being unfairly accused of collaborating with the Japanese by his European boss (who was humiliated by the Japanese during 1942–45 and imprisoned in [[Changi Prison|Changi]]), Aziz left the colonial service to join his brother [[Yusof Ishak]] after he founded [[Utusan Melayu]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110521070940/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F8%2F6%2Fnation%2F18501532&sec=nation The 'unknown' Aziz Ishak</ref>

It was through journalism that Aziz became widely known in [[British Malaya|Malaya]]. He wrote feature articles on [[UMNO]], on the state and federal administrations and occasionally editorials.

Aziz was a member of the KMM while he was a fisheries officer in Kuala Kurau. In 1946, he and Abdul Samad Ismail formed Gerakan Angkatan Melayu Sedar (Geram), which was refused registration by the colonial authority. It was closely watched by the Special Branch. Geram was critical of the [[Malayan Union]]; it was also critical of [[UMNO]] because of the prominent role of the feudal aristocracy within the movement. Geram died a natural death when Aziz moved to [[Kuala Lumpur]] in 1948 as [[Utusan Melayu]] correspondent in the central region.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110521071022/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F8%2F6%2Fnation%2F18503612&sec=nation Aziz kept bucking his British bosses</ref>

Aziz was the only journalist who was appointed a member of the Federal Legislative Council and he played an active role in its proceedings. In September 1951, he urged the government to declare an end to the Emergency.

==Political involvement==
Aziz's political involvement was varied. Before 1942, he was a member of the KMM and after 1945 sympathised with the PKMM. However, in 1950 he joined [[UMNO]] when it was still led by Datuk [[Onn Jaafar]] although his idea of full independence for [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]] at this time was neither acceptable to Onn nor  [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]].

When the [[Independence of Malaya Party]] was formed in 1951 by Onn, Aziz became deputy chairman of the IMP's [[Kuala Lumpur]] branch and contested the 1952 elections in [[Sentul, Kuala Lumpur|Sentul]] but lost to the Alliance candidate.

In the same year, he left the IMP due to personal differences with Onn. Upon Tunku's encouragement, he rejoined [[UMNO]] in April 1953. Aziz then held important positions within Umno and the Alliance. In 1953, he was appointed to the Alliance Round Table Conference that called for an early general election in Malaya.

In September 1954, Aziz campaigned actively with Tunku in the [[Terengganu]] election which was won by the Alliance despite open support for Parti Negara by the British.

In 1955, he was appointed head of Selangor [[UMNO]] and chairman of the Selangor [[Barisan Nasional|Alliance]]. He was very much involved in drafting the 1955 Alliance manifesto for the general election held that year; the manifesto covered issues such as [[Malay language]], agriculture, economy, education, and finance.

In the elections, he stood on the Alliance ticket and won in [[Selangor Barat (Federal Legislative Council constituency)|Selangor Barat]]. He faced Parti Negara candidate Mohd Rashid Ahmad, a former schoolmate. Despite official backing for Parti Negara, including from the colonial police force, the Alliance went on to win the first national elections, taking 51 of the 52 seats. Aziz himself obtained 8,713 votes, handily defeating his opponent with a 6,438 majority.

For the country's first elections after independence which were held in 1959, Aziz shifted to the [[Kuala Langat (federal constituency)|Kuala Langat]] parliamentary seat. He secured 9,492 votes, defeating Syed Ibrahim Syed Salim of [[Malaysian Islamic Party|PMIP]] by 5,193 votes.

==Cabinet position==
Aziz was appointed Minister of Agriculture and co-operatives, a post he kept until 1963. [[Tun Abdul Razak]] took note of Aziz's useful work among the rural folk, especially the setting up of co-operatives to eliminate the exploitation by middlemen.

The year 1955 saw a growing rift between Aziz with his Cabinet colleagues, notably the Tunku and Abdul Razak who was overall in charge of rural development. Aziz's blunt criticisms of ministers, such as the wearing of uniforms, did not endear him well with the Tunku. He was also unhappy at the Alliance's neglect of the 1955 manifesto due to the exuberant push for political independence.

In his memoirs, Aziz claimed that the 1955 Cabinet was beset with policy differences on various issues, including the replacement of expatriate British officers with Malayans or Malayanisation. Aziz was equally passionate on press freedom that he claimed had been eroded after 1955.

Aziz resigned from the Cabinet in 1963 after he was transferred to the Health Ministry. This was due to irreconcilable differences with the Tunku and other Cabinet colleagues on strategies for rural development.<ref name=weiss>Weiss, Meredith Leigh: "Protest and Possibilities: Civil Society and Coalitions for Political Change in Malaysia", Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2005, {{ISBN|0-8047-5295-8}}</ref> There was no place for a socialist in a Cabinet that was pursuing capitalistic policies and firmly committed to upholding a free-market economy. Soon after, he was expelled from [[UMNO]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=AZIZ IS OUT OF UMNO |date=1963-02-13 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19630213-1.2.84 |access-date=2025-02-20 |work=[[New Straits Times|The Straits Times]] |pages=9 |language=en}}</ref>

Aziz eventually went on to form the short lived [[Parti Perhimpunan Kebangsaan|National Convention Party]] that joined the left wing [[Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front]] together with the [[Labour Party of Malaya]] and [[Parti Rakyat Malaysia|Partai Ra'ayat]] to contest the [[1964 Malaysian general election|1964 general elections]].<ref name=weiss/>

This was not a successful move as he was defeated in the 1964 elections. He attempted to defend his Kuala Langat parliamentary seat under the Socialist Front banner but lost by 3,797 votes to his former party colleague Mohd Tahir Abdul Majid. The NCP and PRM both failed to win any seats in the election, and the Labour Party only won two seats.

==Post-Cabinet==
In 1963, soon after the outbreak of the [[Konfrontasi]] between [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]], the [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance]] government began yet another massive round up of politicians and activists among the opposition under the [[Internal Security Act (Malaysia)|Internal Security Act]]. Among those arrested and detained were [[Ahmad Boestaman]], [[Ishak Haji Muhammad]], Abdul Aziz Ishak (head of GERAM), Datuk Kampo Radjo (later the president of PRM), Tan Kai Hee, Tan Hock Hin, Dr. Rajakumar, Hasnul Hadi, Tajuddin Kahar and hundreds of others.

Aziz was accused of being a traitor and collaborating with Indonesian agents to form a government-in-exile, a charge that he denied. He was detained between 1965 and 1966 under the law.

In his book ''Special Guest: The Detention in Malaysia of an Ex-Cabinet Minister'' he describes in detail the irreconcilable differences with the Tunku and the events that led to his resignation, subsequent detention and release. The book was banned and only allowed restricted access in university libraries.

His earlier biographical account Katak Keluar dari Bawah Tempurong stopped at 1955 and his subsequent appointment as minister. As a result, not much is known about Aziz Ishak and his role in the struggle for independence through the newspaper Utusan Melayu and in the political arena when he was head of [[Selangor]] [[UMNO]] and Selangor [[Barisan Nasional|Alliance]] in the mid-1950s when the political bargaining among the Alliance partners were struck.

He turned down all subsequent offers of state and federal awards.

==Election results==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ '''[[Dewan Rakyat|Parliament of the Federation of Malaya]]'''<ref>{{Cite news |title=THE BIG DAY : The results - State by State |date=1959-08-20 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/straitstimes19590820-1.1.16 |access-date=2025-02-12 |work=[[New Straits Times|The Straits Times]] |pages=16 |language=en}}</ref>
!|Year
!|Constituency
!colspan=2|Candidate
!|Votes
!|Pct
!colspan=2|Opponent(s)
!|Votes
!|Pct
!|Ballots cast
!|Majority
!|Turnout
|-
|[[1959 Malayan general election|1959]]
|'''P075 [[Kuala Langat (federal constituency)|Kuala Langat]]'''
|{{Party shading/Alliance}} |
|{{nowrap|'''Aziz Ishak'''}} ([[United Malays National Organisation|'''UMNO''']])
|align="right" |'''9,492'''
|'''68.83%'''
|{{Party shading/PAS}} |
|{{nowrap|Syed Ibrahim Syed Salim}} ([[Malaysian Islamic Party|PAS]])
|align="right" |4,299
|31.17%
|13,791
|5,193
|81.66%
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ '''[[Dewan Rakyat|Parliament of Malaysia]]'''<ref name="election results">{{cite web|url=http://semak.spr.gov.my/spr/laporan/5_KedudukanAkhir.php |title=Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri |publisher=[[Election Commission of Malaysia]] |language=ms |access-date=4 February 2017 }} Percentage figures based on total turnout.</ref>
!|Year
!|Constituency
!colspan=2|Candidate
!|Votes
!|Pct
!colspan=2|Opponent(s)
!|Votes
!|Pct
!|Ballots cast
!|Majority
!|Turnout
|-
|[[1964 Malaysian general election|1964]]
|'''P075 [[Kuala Langat (federal constituency)|Kuala Langat]]'''
|{{Party shading/Labour Party of Malaya}} |
|{{nowrap|Aziz Ishak}} ([[Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front|SF]])
|align="right" |6,043
|38.05%
|{{Party shading/Alliance}} |
|'''{{nowrap|Mohd. Tahir Abdul Majid}}''' '''([[United Malays National Organisation|UMNO]])'''
|align="right" |9,840
|61.95%
|15,883
|3,797
|80.16%
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[Mass media in Malaysia]]
*[[Abdul Rahim Kajai]]
*[[A. Samad Said]]
*[[Abdul Samad Ismail]]
*[[Ishak Haji Muhammad]]
*[[Said Zahari]]
*[[Usman Awang]]
*[[Yusof Ishak]]


==References==
<references />


{{First Rahman cabinet}}
{{Second Rahman cabinet}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aziz Ishak}}
[[Category:People from Perak]]
[[Category:Malaysian Muslims]]
[[Category:Malaysian politicians of Malay descent]]
[[Category:Malaysian people of Minangkabau descent]]
[[Category:Victoria School, Singapore alumni]]
[[Category:Raffles Institution alumni]]
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:United Malays National Organisation politicians]]
[[Category:Malaysian political party founders]]
[[Category:Malaysian socialists]]
[[Category:Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front politicians]]
[[Category:Agriculture ministers of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Ministers of health of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Malaysian MPs 1959–1964]]