DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK OF DATO ONN JAAFAR

DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK OF
DATO’ONN JAAFAR

ETHAN BEH INN DENG
4 AKAS

MAKTAB SULTAN ABU BAKAR
(ENGLISH COLLEGE)

Jalan Sungai Chat, Sri Gelam, 80100 Johor Bahru, Johor

GMAIL: [email protected]

Introduction
Dato' Sir Onn bin Dato' Jaafar (12th February 1895 – 19th January 1962) was a Malayan
politician who served as the 7th Menteri Besar of Johor from 1947 to 1950, then Malaya
(now Malaysia).

He is also the founder and was the 1st President of United Malays National Organisation
(UMNO) from its formation in 1946 to his resignation in 1951 and was also responsible for
the social and economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial
Development Authority (RIDA).

His son is Tun Hussein Onn, the 3rd and former Prime Minister of Malaysia, his grandson is
the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, and, his great-
grandson is Onn Hafiz Ghazi, the current Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly
for Layang-Layang.

Biodata

Datuk Onn Jaafar was born on February 12, 1895 at Bukit
Gambir, Jalan Gertak Merah in Johor Bahru.

He was the son of Datuk Jaafar bin Haji Muhammad, the
first Menteri Besar of Johor. Datuk Onn Jaafar was the third
of seven sons in his family.

He was married to Datin Halimah Hussein, the widow of
one of his sisters.

Both of them have a son who is one of the most famous leaders we know in Malaysia which
is the third prime minister of Malaysia, Tun Hussein Onn.

On 19 January of 1962 at the age of 66, Dato Onn Jaafar
passed away due to heart attack and was buried at Bukit
Mahmoodiah Royal Tomb.

Education
Dato’ Onn Jaafar started his education in a
Malay school in Johor Bahru. He went to
England in 1904, and attend Aldeburgh Lodge
School, a private school in Suffolk along with
Tengku Mahkota until 1909 for a period of six
years .

He returned to Malaya and was enrolled at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). He
studied for two years from 1910 to1911. He was enrolled into this school in order to improve
his Malay language that had weakened during his time in England.

Career
Journalist
In 1930, Dato’ Onn Jaafar is at the age of 33. He worked as a journalist and was successfully
became the editor of the Board of Malay and the Board Daily after four years of hard work.
He was appointed editor of the Malayan Gazette from 1st of January 1930 to the end of 1933.

Batu Pahat District Officer
He was a District Officers of Batu Pahat of the era of the British colonial administration. He
resigned himself as a district officers because of objecting the colonial policies.

Founder of UMNO & The Menteri Besar of Johor
At 1-4 March 1946, 41 Malay association gathered to attend the first Malay Congress held to
oppose the Malayan Union that has threaten the Malay special rights and position of the
Malay sultans. Due to his activeness in the nationalist Malay, he was appointed to be the first
president of UMNO. On the first of June 1947, he has been chosen to be the Menteri Besar of
Johor. He resigned himself after three years to devote time to UMNO.

Contribution

-In 1946, he established the Association of Johor
Malay Peninsula as the President. He attended the
Malay Congress in Kuala Lumpur and he became the
first leader of UMNO.
-On 1st October 1946, he was appointed by Sultan
Ibrahim to be the Menteri Besar of Johor.

-Under his leadership, UMNO succeeded in forcing
the British government to dissolve the Malayan
Union and replaced by the Federation of Malaya.

-The federation of Malaya maintained the position of the Malay Rulers and the tightening of
the conditions of citizenship, and give Malays privileges.

-In 1954, he created the National Party as making preparations for the elections of the
Federation of Malaya in 1955. Although his party did not win the election, he never gave up
for a place in national politics.

Leadership Value

Courage

Dato Onn Jaafar was also known for being outspoken against what he perceived as
inconsiderate palace politics in his home state, Johor. He wrote articles on the welfare of the
Malays, and some that were critical of Sultan Ibrahim's policies, including one published in
Sunday Mirror. He had criticised the Sultan's poor treatment of the Johor Military Forces (JMF)
personnel and the welfare of the Orang Asli, also the Sultan’s marriage to English woman,
Helen Bartholomew Wilson, which led to the Sultan expelling him from Johor from 1927 to
1936.

Dato Jaafar was better known as political figure who play a leading role in the Merdeka
(independence) movement and the establishment of the Federation of Malaya.

His outspoken leadership style is needed by Malay Nationwide during the Malayan Union in
fighting for Malay rights against British desire to provide equal rights to all citizen.

Conclusion

Dato’ Sir Onn Jaafar was indeed a man with a great leadership skill. He has been trying to
seek a better welfare for all the Malayan people as well as the Independence of Malaysia. His
great stories were never forgotten by the people and also inspired so many young Malaysian
to take part in the politics. For example, his son Tun Hussein Onn, who became the third
prime minister of Malaysia. His legacy remains and he is still a pride of Johor. We as the
future leaders, ought to learn from Dato’ Onn Jaafar for his dedication and his leadership
skills and continue making our land a better place.

Reference Source

Online Website:

1. https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onn_Jaafar
2. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dato-Onn-bin-Jaafar
3. https://umno.org.my/en/presiden/datuk-onn-jaafar/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onn_Jaafar
5. https://tributetodatoonnjaafar.blogspot.com/2008/10/dato-onn-jaafar.html