Raja Uda ibni Raja Muhammad (15 December 1894 – 17 October 1976) was a

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 ...

n statesman during the country's struggle for independence and its early years of nationhood. He was a civil servant under the British colonial administration, and eventually rose to important administrative positions within the government. Upon the independence of Malaya in 1957, he became the first

Yang di-Pertua Negeri In Malaysia, the Governor, officially Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Jawi script, Jawi: , ) is a constitutional title given to the head of state in States and federal territories of Malaysia, states without a ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and S ...

(Governor) of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

, one of the four states in Malaysia without a hereditary ruler. Uda was also the grandfather of Malaysian political blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Biography

Raja Uda was a member of the

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

, being a distant cousin of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah and a direct descendant of the first

Sultan of Selangor Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the t ...

. He married both of Sultan Hisamuddin's sisters namely, Tengku Badariah binti Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah and Tengku Nor Saadah. Educated at the

Malay College Kuala Kangsar The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; ; ) is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys and all- Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the Eton College of the East". The Malay Col ...

, Raja Uda joined the colonial government service in 1910 at the age of 16. In 1939, he was appointed as secretary to the British Resident of Selangor. He was

Menteri Besar of Selangor The Menteri Besar of Selangor, also referred to as the First Minister of Selangor is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Selangor. The Menteri Besar acts as a majority leader in the Selangor Assembly. According to convention, the Men ...

twice, from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1954 to 1955. In between, Raja Uda served as Malayan High Commissioner in the United Kingdom. He was involved in negotiations with the British to establish the Member System in the 1950s. In 1951, Raja Uda was appointed a CMG and appointed an Honorary

Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1953. Following the first ever general election in 1955, Raja Uda was appointed Speaker of the

Federal Legislative Council The Federal Legislative Council (also known simply as the Legislative Council) was the legislative body of the Federation of Malaya and the predecessor of the Malaysian Parliament. It was formed in 1948 after the abolition of the Malayan Union an ...

. On August 30, 1957, the day before independence, Raja Uda was appointed the first

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the state of

and served for ten years. Raja Tun Uda died on October 17, 1976, and he was buried at the Selangor royal mausoleum near Sultan Sulaiman Mosque in Klang,

Legacy

Several projects and institutions were named after him, including: * The neighbourhood of ''Kampung Raja Uda'',

Port Klang Port Klang () is the principal port of Malaysia on the Strait of Malacca. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham (), it was renamed to Port Klang in July 1972 and has since become the largest port in the country. It is located about sou ...

** Kampung Raja Uda Komuter station * Raja Uda MRT station *Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda or Raja Tun Uda Library in Section 13,

Shah Alam Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...

. *The Weld Quay in George Town,

was renamed Pengkalan Raja Tun Uda. *Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Raja Tun Uda (SMKRaTU) in

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre, it is home to the Penang International Airport, the third busiest airport in Malaysia, as we ...

*Masjid Jamek Raja Tun Uda, the first mosque built in

located at Section 16. Streets *Jalan Raja Uda in Butterworth,

*Jalan Raja Uda 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 ...

Honours

Honour of Malaysia

* : ** Grand 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 ...

(SMN) – Tun (1959) * : ** Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965) * : ** MY-PEN_Order_of_the_Defender_of_State_-_Knight_Grand_Commander_-_DUPN

Grand Master and Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DUPN) – Dato' Seri Utama (–)

Foreign Honours

* : **

UK King George VI Coronation Medal ribbon

Recipient of the King George VI Coronation Medal (1937) ** Honorary Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) (1945) ** UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon

Honorary Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(CMG) (1951) ** Honorary Knight Commander of the

(KBE) – Sir (1953)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raja Uda Royal House of Selangor Malaysian people of Bugis descent Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang 1894 births 1976 deaths Chief ministers of Selangor Selangor state executive councillors High commissioners of Malaysia to the United Kingdom Grand Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire Honorary companions of the Order of St Michael and St George