Royal Professor Ungku Aziz Bin Ungku Abdul Hamid 1

JOHOR

PROMINENT
LEADER

ROYAL PROFESSOR
UNGKU AZIZ BIN UNGKU ABDUL HAMID

STUDENT’S Teng Ying Ying
PROFILE 4 Al- Farabi

Name & Class [email protected]
Email Address [email protected]

School’s Name SMK Tasek Utara 2
School’s Address Johor Bahru

Jalan Taruka,
Off Jalan Datin Halimah,
80350 Johor Bahru,
Johor

INTRODUCTION

Royal Professor Ungku Aziz bin Ungku Abdul Hamid is a Malaysia Economist with so many achievements there in
his hand. His tremendous work not to be forgotten. The list of his contribution to the country is so meaningful and
continuous until now. He is a ‘guru’ in the economic and education sector. A great leader he was, it was quoted by the
University Malaya staff that he’d give them all his attentions and help when it was a legimate concern. A great leader
is always there to motivate and drives people forward. The particular leader has the ability to persuade others to follow
his vision, and there was Ungku Abdul Aziz, to lead his followers His achievements are remarkable and are there for
us to idolize. Moreover, his brilliant opinions and guidance beyond the academic circles has tremendously helps the
nation and contributed to more new discovery and development of education and science in Malaysia and other Asian
countries.

BIOGRAPHY

Royal Professor Ungku Aziz

▪ Name: Royal Professor Dr. Ungku Abdul Aziz bin Ungku Abdul Hamid
▪ Born Date : 28 January 1922
▪ Died: 15 December 2020 (98 years old) Prince Court Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
▪ Nationality: British, Malaysia
▪ Origin: London, United Kingdom
▪ Occupation: Economist, Lecturer
▪ Known for: The only person that hold the title of Royal Professor in Malaysia
▪ Achievement throughout the life :

▪ 3rd Vice-Chancellor of The University Malaya (1968 – 1988)
▪ 1st General Director of the Council on Language and Literature of Malaysia (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka

) (1956-1957)

FAMILY
BACKGROUND

▪ He is a descendant of the royal family of Johor. His father, Ungku Abdul Hamid Ungku Abdul Majid was a Lieutenant in the Johor Deputy Setia
Negeri (JMF) army.

▪ His mother was named Hamidah binti Abdullah, an English woman. In 1924, his mother died when Ungku Aziz was two years old.
▪ After being born in London, he was taken back to Batu Pahat, Johor. His grandfather, Ungku Abdul Majid took him to travel all over Europe.
▪ His father was an intelligent man and had studied at Cambridge University and could speak Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit.
▪ He was married to Sharifah Azah Aziz and was blessed with a daughter, Y.M. Tan Sri Dato 'Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Governor of Bank

Negara Malaysia.
▪ He was also a cousin of the eminent Muslim intellectual, Y.M. Tan Sri Prof. Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas.
• After the death of his first wife, he married the former Vice President of Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad, Rohayah Ahmad

Bahiran @ Rahaiah Baheran.

FAMILY
BACKGROUND

• He inherited the wisdom of his father who had studied at Cambridge University and was fluent in three languages ​namely Arab ic, Persian and
Sanskrit.

• He was a cousin to the Al-Attas brothers (Syed Hussein, Syed Muhammad Naquib and Syed Zedal) and Sultan Ibrahim ibni Sultan Abu
Bakar from his father's side.

• His wife is a famous cultural figure, the late Azah Aziz, where the result of their marriage gave birth to a child, Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz. Tan
Sri Zeti previously served as the Governor of Bank Negara (2000-2016) and now fills the position of Chairman of Kumpulan Permodalan
Nasional Berhad (PNB).

ACADEMIC
CAREER

▪ PhD (Waseda); Decon; DipArts; BA (UM); HonDLitt (Pitt); HonEdD (Chulalongkorn); HonLLD (Waseda); HonDLitt
(Warwick); HonLLD (Strathclyde); DeEkon (Keh) (UKM); HonLLD (Buckingham)

▪ WASEDA UNIVERSITY, TOKYO JAPAN
▪ Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics in 1964

▪ UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA, SINGAPORE(UM)
▪ Bachelor of Art (Economist) in 1951

▪ RAFFLES COLLAGE, SINGAPORE
▪ Diploma in Arts in 1947

▪ SECONDARY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL
▪ Sekolah Melayu, Batu Pahat
▪ English College, Johor Bahru
▪ Bukit Zahrah School

EARLY 02 VICE CHANCELLOR 03 POETRISE
CAREER
In 1968, Ungku Aziz ascended to the helm of the Ungku Aziz's devotion to his academic
01 ECONOMIC’S LECTURER university and succeeded Dr J.H.E. Griffiths as Vice career has not detracted from his enjoyment
Chancellor of the University of Malaya, becoming of other pursuits. He remains a voracious
When Ungku Aziz entered into a career in both the first Malaysian and the longest serving person reader, to the point of having to limit his
academia, his career proved to be to hold the post. Having received a Royal purchases to no more than six books at a
exceptional both in its longevity and in its Professorship in 1978. He remains the sole Malaysian time. Ungku Aziz is also an aficionado of
brilliance. Since his arrival at the university to hold the title. Ungku Aziz retired as Vice Malay poetry and is currently compiling a
in 1952, Ungku Aziz has taught as a Chancellor in 1988. As an Emeritus Professor after database of traditional Malay pantun (poetic
Lecturer in Economics at the University of retirement, Ungku Aziz has not stood still. He holds couplets). Ungku Aziz has enjoyed the art of
Malaya, obtained full professorship, became directorships in several companies and continues to be photography from an early age, with his
the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and then involved in many national and international interest extending beyond merely taking
Dean of the Faculty of Economics and institutions. He is the first Malaysian to hold the post pictures to darkroom photograph
Administration. and the longest serving Vice-Chancellor with the development.
university for about 20 years.

CAREER /
SERVICE

1951 1952-1961 1961-1965

Joined the Johor Civil Service (JCS) Lecturer in Economics at the Professor and Dean at the Faculty of
1968-1988 University of Malaya Singapore Economics, University of Malaya, Kuala

Lumpur.

Vice Chancellor of the ▪ He is the first Malaysian to hold the post and the longest serving Vice-Chancellor with the
University of Malaya (UM) university for about 20 years.

▪ On his initiative, the University created the Botanical Garden, the Museum of Asian Art, and a
cooperative bookstore. When he led UM, student exchanges began to take place between the
University of Malaya and the Institute of Eastern Languages ​(later the Institute of Asian and
African Countries) at Moscow National University (since 1970).

CAREER PRESIDENT OF ANGKASA
• Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz made history when he was appointed Vice Chancellor, University of

LECTURER Malaya for twenty (20) years from 1968 to 1988. During that period he also held the position of
• Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz started President of ANGKASA, a position he holds to date, and served as Advisor or Member of the Advisory
Committee to several local and international institutions. His contribution to the country was not only in

his career in the civil service with the Johor the field of Academia, but also led to the idea of ​establishing Tabung Haji and became the Founding

State Government. In 1952 he made his Director of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. His first role held by Ungku Abdul Aziz bin Ungku Abdul
way into the academic world when he was Hamid to the country is The originator of the idea of ​the establishment, and the President, Angkatan

accepted as a lecturer in Economics at the Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA) (March 1971)

University of Malaya. He was appointed DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Professor and Head of the Department of • Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz during the years 1971 to 2005, has been awarded multiple honorary

Economics for five (5) years starting in degrees from local and international institutions. Among them, Doctor of Humane Letters from the

1961 before holding the position of Dean of University of Pittsburgh, Doctor of Education from Chulalongkorn University, Royal Professor of

the Faculty of Economics and Economics by DYMM Yang DiPertuan Agong, Doctor of Laws from the University of Strathclyde and

Administration in 1965 to 1968. Doctor of Economics from the University of Malaya.

ACHIEVEMENTS

ACADEMICIAN
▪ In recognition of his career as an outstanding academician and his contributions to society, Ungku Aziz has been bestowed with numerous

awards and honours, including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan),
the Tun Abdul Razak Foundation Award (Malaysia). Ungku Aziz has also received many honorary degrees from universities worldwide.

GOVERNANCE COUNCIL, SCHOOLOF INTERNATIONALISLAMIC FINANCE, BANK NEGARA MALAYSIA
▪ One of the member INCEIF Governing Council from 2006-2009

LEMBAGA URUSAN DAN TABUNG HAJI
▪ The idea for the establishment of Lembaga Urusan Dan Tabung Haji in 1962

FIRST DIRECTOR GENERALOF DEWAN BAHASA DAN PUSAKA
▪ Founder of the idea of ​the establishment and First Director in 1956

CONTRIBUTION ▪ First Ungku Aziz has been responsible for a number of researches in attempting to address domestic
poverty. The subject, Close to his heart has spurred him to research the root causes of rural poverty in
POVERTY Malaysia as well as identifying methods by which to alleviate poverty.
ERADICATION AND
RURAL ▪ Ungku Aziz formulated the sarong index as a measure of rural poverty and the Theory of Neglect as the
DEVELOPMENT reason behind rural poverty. He has posited three main factors were the causative agents of Malaysian rural
poverty, namely low Productivity, Discrimination and Institutionalised obstacles.

• His work was instrumental in spurring governmental rural poverty development programmes aimed at
bemefiting the impoverished peasants and village folks. Ungku Aziz has constanly sought to improve the level
of opportunities available to the rural community and system from his work in poverty eradication.

CONTRIBUTION

TABUNG HAJI ▪ The creation of Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haj(the pilgrim’s Fund and Management Board, generally referred to
as Tabung Haji) was among Ungku Aziz’s most significant accomplishment. The idea behind Tabung Haji was to
provide an avenue for muslims to save money in order to perform the Haj.

▪ Tabung Haji in its dual role, is responsible for preparing pilgrims for the Haja and managing the logistical issues of
the pilgrimage such as plane tickets and accommodation.In its fund management role, in accordance with its
Islamic focus, Ungku Aziz introduced profit sharing in line with the Sharia principle as a mean of income
generation for the accrued deposits in Tabung Haji.

CONTRIBUTION

CONTRIBUTIONS TO ▪ As a mean of alleviating poverty and of encouraging rural poverty and development, Ungku Aziz has strongly
THE NATIONAL backed the Malaysian co-operative movement. He has served as the ANGKASA, the national Co-operative
COOPERATIVE Organisation of Malaysia, an organisation that acts as the apex body for Malaysian co-operatives and which also
MOVEMENT aims to educate the Malaysia public on the benefits of co-operatives. In addition, Ungku Aziz served as a chairman
of the University of Malaya Co-operative Book Shop from 1968 to 2002 and remains one of its directors.

LEADERSHIP ▪ He understood the problem of Muslims to get money in perfoming Haj as going to Mecca required big amount of
VALUE money.

Understanding ▪ Ungku Aziz created Tabung Haji to provide an avenue for Muslims to save money in order to perform the Haj.
▪ Ungku Aziz ensured Tabung Haji is responsible for preparing pilgrims for the Haj and managing the logistical issues

of the pilgrimage, such as plane tickets and accommodation.
▪ His passion and determinations to help the poor arose the will for him to solve the problems of rural poverty, this is

especially vital to a multiethnic country like Malaysia as this problems is directly involved and connected to the
nation's survival rates.

LEADERSHIP
VALUE

Successful ▪ Royal Professor Ungku Aziz is a successful leader and he is knowledgebale to make people satisfied
with themselves by accretion their self esteem.

▪ He’s achievements also bring in rewards for himself such as Rank of the Royal Profesor in 1978
awarded by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Japan Foundation Award in 1981, National
Merdeka Award in 2008 and Rochdale Award in 2009.

▪ Ungku Aziz was the first director of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) when it was established in
Johor Baru in 1956. His interest in all things literary is legendary.

▪ Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz is a successful economist in Malaysia, as he has made Malaysia
proud by all his achievements not only in Malaysia's economic studies but other field like educations
and human resource development.

CONCLUSION

Royal Professor Ungku Aziz is a great professor and a true prominent leader. I could not write about such a great leader without turning him into a hero. I
am truly eager to get to know himself as a prominent leader and how he managed to bring out his best for his career. Royal Professor Ungku Aziz is the
one that everyone should ever idolize him. I choose him as a prominent leader in my life because he indeed never gave up upgrading himself even though
his early education was interrupted by the second world war and the Japanese occupation.

REFERENCE

▪ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ungku_Abdul_Aziz
▪ https://www.merdekaaward.my/the-award/past-recipients/education-community/royal-professor-ungku-abdul-aziz-bin-ungku-abdul-h
▪ http://atynazihabdullah.blogspot.com/2013/07/blog-post_22.html