View source for Syed Jaafar Albar

{{Short description|Malaysian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Malay name|Syed Jaafar|Syed Hassan Albar|note=on}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Malay titles#Honorary styles|Yang Berbahagia]] [[Malay styles and titles#Tan Sri|Tan Sri]] [[Malay titles#State titles|Dato']]
| honorific_suffix    = [[Order of the Defender of the Realm#Commander|PMN]] [[Order of the Crown of Johor|DPMJ]]
| name                = Syed Jaafar Albar
| image               = 
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1914|8|21|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Dutch East Indies]] (now [[Indonesia]])
| residence           = 
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1977|1|14|1914|8|21|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Muar District|Muar]], [[Johor]], Malaysia
| resting_place       = [[Makam Pahlawan]], [[National Mosque of Malaysia|Masjid Negara]], [[Kuala Lumpur]]
| office1             = 6th [[UMNO Youth|Youth Chief]] of the <br> [[United Malays National Organisation]]
| president1          = [[Abdul Razak Hussein]]
| term_start1         = 1976
| term_end1           = 1977
| predecessor1        = [[Harun Idris]]
| successor1          = [[Suhaimi Kamaruddin]]
| constituency_MP3    = [[Johore Tenggara (federal constituency)|Johore Tenggara]]
| parliament3         = Malaysian
| term_start3         = 1959
| term_end3           = 1974
| majority3           = 
| predecessor3        = ''Constituency established''
| successor3          = ''Constituency abolished''
| constituency_MP2    = [[Panti (federal constituency)|Panti]]
| parliament2         = Malaysian
| predecessor2        = ''Constituency established''
| successor2          = Saadun Muhammad Noh
| term_start2         = 1974
| term_end2           = 1977
| party               = {{flagicon image|UMNO (Malaysia).svg}} [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO)
| occupation          = [[Politician]]
| relations           = 
| spouse              = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
| children            = [[Syed Hamid Albar]]
| native_name         = {{lang|ms|{{Script|Arab|سيد جعفر البار سيد حسن البار}}}}
}}
[[Malay titles#Honorary styles|Yang Berbahagia]] [[Malay styles and titles#Tan Sri|Tan Sri]] [[Malay titles#State titles|Dato']] '''Syed Jaafar bin Hassan Albar'''<ref>{{cite book|title=Official Year Book – Malaysia, 1970|pages=41, 587|author=Malaysia Jabatan Penerangan|publisher=Federal Department of Information, Ministry of Information, Malaysia}}</ref> ({{langx|ar|سيد جعفر بن حسن البار}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|Sayyid Ja'far bin Ḥasan al-bār}}'';<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://arabic.peopledaily.com.cn/31663/3314902.html|title=人民网--404页面}}</ref> born 
August 21, 1914<ref>[https://www.geni.com/people/Tan-Sri-Dato-Syed-Jaafar-Albar/6000000010350950594 Tan Sri Dato' Syed Jaafar Albar]</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Government and Society in Malaysia|url=https://archive.org/details/governmentsociet00crou|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/governmentsociet00crou/page/102 102–103]|author=Harold Crouch|year=1996|authorlink=Harold Crouch|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=0-8014-3218-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Who's Who, Malaysia and Singapore|author=John Victor Morais|publisher=[[University of Michigan]]|year=1969|page=327}}</ref>
–14 January 1977<ref>{{cite book|title=Malaysian Politics and the 1978 Election|author1=Harold A. Crouch |author2=Kam Hing Lee |author3=Michael Ong |year=1980 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=0-19-580464-3|page=28}}</ref>) was a [[Malaysians|Malaysian]] politician of [[Hadhrami people|Hadhrami]] [[Arab]] origin. His staunch defence of his political party, the [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO) – which leads the governing [[Barisan Nasional]] coalition – led to him being given the moniker "Lion of UMNO". He was also known for his radical views on Malay sovereignty over Malaysia, and [[Malay supremacy]] in politics, despite of his non-Malay origin.<ref>[http://www.kln.gov.my/?m_id=25&vid=288 Official Website for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia]</ref> He was born in Celebes, Dutch East Indies (now [[Sulawesi]], Indonesia) and migrated when he was 14 years old to Singapore (then part of British Malaya).{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

He served as the Secretary-General of UMNO during the early 1960s, but resigned after Singapore was allowed to secede from Malaysia.

==Political career==
After the [[1963 Singapore general election|1963 Singapore state elections]] held shortly after Singapore merged with [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], Sabah and [[Sarawak]] to form Malaysia, it emerged that the Singapore UMNO branch had been terribly defeated by the ruling [[People's Action Party]] (PAP). Albar then travelled to Singapore to address the Malays, and denounced Malay PAP leaders such as [[Othman Wok]] as traitors to the Malay race and Un[[Islamic]].

Later, he had participated in verbal duels with the Singaporean Prime Minister, [[Lee Kuan Yew]], over the issue of ''[[ketuanan Melayu]]'' (Malay sovereignty over Malaysia). Lee accused Albar of being an "[[ultra (Malaysia)|ultra]]" for making remarks such as "Wherever I am, I am a Malay." Lee criticised him for this, asking "If I had been going round and saying what [he] has been saying – wherever I am, I am a Chinese – where would we be? But I keep on reminding the people that I am a Malaysian. I am learning ''Bahasa Kebangsaan'' (Malay, the national language) and I accept [[Article 153]] of the [[Constitution of Malaysia|Constitution]]."<ref>Keith, Patrick (2005). ''Ousted!'', p. 128. Media Masters. {{ISBN|981-05-3865-0}}.</ref>

Albar also accused Lee and some other [[Chinese Malaysian]]s – referring to them as ''kaum pendatang'' or ''[[pendatang asing]]'' (immigrants) – of being lodgers (''orang tumpangan''), abusing the hospitality of the Malays who were the "masters of the house". This provoked a response from Cabinet member [[Lim Swee Aun]], who insisted "we are co-owners, not lodgers, not guests."<ref>Lee, Kuan Yew (1998). ''The Singapore Story'', p. 620. Marshall Cavendish Editions. {{ISBN|981-204-983-5}}.</ref><ref>Keith, p. 115.</ref>

Lee took a swipe at his politics by arguing "According to history, Malays began to migrate to Malaysia in noticeable numbers only about 700 years ago. Of the 39% Malays in Malaysia today, about one-third are comparatively new immigrants like the secretary-general of UMNO, Dato' Syed Jaafar Albar.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Separation of Singapore from Malaysia|author=Nancy McHenry Fletcher|year=1969|publisher=Southeast Asia Program, [[Cornell University]]|isbn=0-8357-3673-3|page=62}}</ref> Therefore it is wrong and illogical for a particular racial group to think that they are more justified to be called Malaysians and that the others can become Malaysian only through their favour."<ref>Ye, Lin-Sheng (2003). ''The Chinese Dilemma'', p. 143. East West Publishing. {{ISBN|0-9751646-1-9}}.</ref>

The Malaysian Prime Minister, [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], eventually tired of the bickering and told Singapore to secede from Malaysia. The matter was hushed up, with not even the UMNO Members of [[Parliament of Malaysia|Parliament]] such as Albar being informed of what 9 August 1965 Parliamentary session would be concerned about. When Albar demanded more information on why their presence was demanded, he was rebuffed. Upon discovering that day itself that the purpose of the meeting was to allow Singapore to secede, Albar left Parliament House, not participating in the final unanimous vote. As this was directly contrary to his orders, the Tunku insisted on sacking Albar as UMNO Secretary-General, but was later persuaded to permit Albar to graciously resign instead.

Albar was opposed to the idea of allowing Singapore to secede, because he felt that imposing emergency rule over Singapore and removing Lee as Prime Minister would have been an ideal solution. Before secession, he had vocally called for Lee to be arrested for destroying racial harmony through his "[[Malaysian Malaysia]]" campaign, which the Malays saw as threatening the special rights granted to them under Article 153 of the Constitution.

Albar also served as Minister of Rural Development for a time.

==Family==
Syed Jaafar had a son, [[Syed Hamid Albar]], who later followed in his footsteps to be active in politics. Syed Hamid went on to serve as Foreign Affairs Minister and Home Minister. In April 2009 however, Syed Hamid was dropped from the cabinet.

==Death==
Syed Jaafar Albar died on 14 January 1977 and was buried at the [[Makam Pahlawan]] (''Heroes' Mausoleum'') near [[Masjid Negara]], [[Kuala Lumpur]].

==Honours==
===Honours of Malaysia===
* {{Flag|Malaya}} :
** [[File:MY Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara (Defender of the Realm) - SMN.svg|50px]] Companion of the [[Order of the Defender of the Realm#Companion|Order of the Defender of the Realm]] (JMN) (1958)
* {{Flag|Malaysia}} :
** [[File:MY Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara (Defender of the Realm)- PMN.svg|50px]] Commander of the [[Order of the Defender of the Realm#Commander|Order of the Defender of the Realm]] (PMN) – '''Tan Sri''' (1964)
* {{Flag|Johor}} :
** [[File:Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar.svg|50x50px]] Knight Commander of the [[Order of the Crown of Johor]] (DPMJ) – '''Dato'''' (1974)

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060325194847/http://sam11.moe.gov.sg/racialharmony/teachers_03.html Small spark can create big mess] – an article on Albar's role in the [[1964 Singapore riots]]
* [http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/98/0925/cs3.html A son's defense] – Syed Hamid Albar defends his father

{{Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:Anti-Chinese sentiment in Asia]]
[[Category:Malaysian politicians of Malay descent]]
[[Category:Malaysian Muslims]]
[[Category:Indonesian emigrants to Malaysia]]
[[Category:Malaysian people of Yemeni descent]]
[[Category:Hadhrami people]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm]]
[[Category:Malaysian MPs 1959–1964]]
[[Category:Malaysian MPs 1964–1969]]
[[Category:Malaysian MPs 1971–1974]]
[[Category:Malaysian MPs 1974–1978]]