Othman Saat
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Othman bin Mohamed Saat (4 April 1927 – 27 October 2007) was a Malaysian politician from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), and later, Spirit of 46 Malay Party (S46), who served as the 11th
Menteri Besar of Johor The Menteri Besar of Johor or Chief Minister of Johor is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Johor. According to convention, the Menteri Besar is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Johor State Legisla ...
in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.


Political career

Othman's political career began with the Malay
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
movement in the 1940s. He joined the UMNO party after it was founded in
Batu Pahat The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram. Geograph ...
by Onn Jaafar in 1946. Othman became a committee member of UMNO in 1952. He enrolled on the day of UMNO's establishment - 11 May 1946. In 1955, Othman contested in the
1955 Malayan general election General elections were held in the Federation of Malaya on Wednesday, 27 July 1955, the only general election before independence in 1957. They were held to elect members of the Federal Legislative Council, whose members had previously been ful ...
, winning the Jorak state constituency uncontested. He became an executive council member (EXCO) of the
Johor State Executive Council The Johor State Executive Council is the executive authority of the Government of Johor, Malaysia. The Council comprises the Menteri Besar, appointed by the Sultan on the basis that he is able to command a majority in the Johor State Legislative As ...
in 1958. In 1964, Othman was appointed EXCO member in charge of the Local Government and Housing portfolio and initiated low-cost housing schemes for the poor and opened the
Federal Land Development Authority The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda; , LKTP) is a Malaysian government agency that was founded to handle the resettlement of rural poor into newly developed areas (''colonies'', ''settlements'' or ''schemes'') and to organize smallho ...
(Felda) and FELCRA Berhad land schemes in Johor during the tenure of
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Abdul Razak Hussein Abdul Razak bin Dato’ Hussein (; 11 March 1922 – 14 January 1976) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the second prime minister of Malaysia from 1970 until his death in 1976. He also served as the first Deputy Prime Minis ...
in the 1970s.


Menteri Besar of Johor

On 4 April 1967, at the age of 43, Othman was appointed the 11th Chief Minister of Johor. He held this position for three terms until 1982. His fate changed when Dr.
Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...
became prime minister with
Musa Hitam Musa bin Hitam (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: موسى بن هيتم; born 18 April 1934) is a Malaysian retired politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 1986, serving under Mahathir Mohamad. He was the chairman of Si ...
as his deputy. Musa Hitam was said to have used all means from UMNO headquarters in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
to weaken Othman's influence. This is the starting point of the fall of his political career. Journalist Chamil Wariya, in his book 'Crisis of the Sultan - the Chief Minister, what really happened', describes the crisis between Othman and the
Sultan of Johor The Sultan of Johor (Malay language, Malay: ''Sultan Johor''; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a '' ...
. The then-
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia The deputy prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the second-highest political office in Malaysia. There have been 15 officeholders since the office was created in 1957. The first prime minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, started the convent ...
, Musa Hitam, reprimanded Othman for allegedly giving timber and land areas based on political considerations. Othman was ordered to stop the practice. He is seen as the Chief Minister for a long time and should provide access to young people. Tunku Mahmood Iskandar, who had just been re-appointed as the Crown Prince of Johor, urged Othman to immediately resign for questioning the legitimacy of the crown prince.Kershaw (2001), pg 103 Several demonstrations were reportedly planned to be held in several places including
Kota Tinggi Kota Tinggi is a town and capital of Kota Tinggi District, Johor, Malaysia. Kuala Sedili or Tanjung Sedili, a small fishing town located 37 km north-east of Kota Tinggi town, is the second largest fishing port in east coast of Peninsular ...
. The ailing Sultan Sir Ismail Al Khalidi fell into a
coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...
on 8 May, three days before his death. The newly installed Sultan Mahmood Iskandar issued a decree for Othman to vacate his office within 24 hours, shortly after Sultan Ismail's death. But Othman ignored that directive but eventually resigned after the intervention of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. In 1982, Othman resigned as Chief Minister after 16 years of service.''Constitutional Heads and Political Crises: Commonwealth Episodes, 1945–85 (1988)'', Low, pg 185 In 1985, Othman was defeated by Muhyiddin Muhammad Yassin for the post of
Pagoh Pagoh ( Jawi: ڤاڬوه) is a town in Muar District, Johor, Malaysia. Pagoh is situated from Muar via Johor State Route J32 (Muar–Labis trunk road) and is accessible via one of the main interchanges on the North–South Expressway, the major ...
division chief of UMNO. He had served in that position for 14 years. A few years later, in 1987, he joined the newly formed
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: تڠکو غزالي بن تڠکو محمد حمزة; born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who served as the Dewan Rakyat, Member of Parliament (MP) for Gu ...
-helmed political party S46 to challenge UMNO in the 1990 Malaysian general election. However, the party did not succeed and was later dissolved.


Personal life

Othman was born in ''Kampung Tengah'' (Tengah Village), Muar,
Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
to a wealthy rice trader. Othman has nine children from three marriages, seven children (first wife) one child (second wife) one child (third wife), 32 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. His first wife, Rokiah Alwi, died in 1990. His third marriage with Hasmah Hussein ended in divorce. Othman's second wife Kamariah Buyung and eldest son Zulkifli Othman and his other children were with him when he died. A luxury car enthusiast, Othman's collection at one time included 50 different cars, with brands including
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
,
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
and
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
. Later, he maintained he only has one
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
S400 with his favourite plate number, JDN 7.


Honours

* : ** Commander of the
Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...
(PMN) – Tan Sri (1975) * : ** (''revoked 1982'') ** (1968, ''revoked 1982'') ** (1969, ''revoked 1982'') ** (1972, ''revoked 1982'') ** (1975, ''revoked 1982'') ** (''revoked 1982'') * : ** Knight Grand Commander of the
Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...
(SJMK) – Dato' (1989)


Death

Othman experienced light
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
s in 2001 and 2002. He had his right leg amputated from the knee downwards due to a
gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...
on 2 October 2007, at Sultan Ismail Hospital and gradually recovered. Othman also experienced spinal pain after lying in bed for too long. On 27 October 2007, Othman died at the age of 80 at the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Pandan-Tebrau,
Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...
due to
sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...
at 7.00 am. Prayers were offered at the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque with the
crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
of Johor, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail ibni Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj, present. Othman was subsequently buried in Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum. A village in Johor has been named 'Othman Saat Village' to commemorate his service.


References

{{Authority control 1927 births 2007 deaths People from Muar Malaysian politicians of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims 21st-century Malaysian people 20th-century Malaysian politicians Chief ministers of Johor Johor state executive councillors Members of the Johor State Legislative Assembly Former United Malays National Organisation politicians Parti Melayu Semangat 46 politicians Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm