Rahman, Tunku (Prince) Abdul

Malaysian politician, first prime minister of independent Malaya 1957–63 and of Malaysia 1963–70.

Born at Kuala Keda, the son of the sultan and his sixth wife, a Thai princess, he studied law in the UK. After returning to Malaya he founded the Alliance Party in 1952. The party was successful in the 1955 elections, and he became prime minister of Malaya on gaining independence in 1957, continuing when Malaya became part of Malaysia in 1963. His achievement was to bring together the Malay, Chinese, and Indian peoples within the Alliance Party, but in the 1960s he was accused of showing bias towards Malays. Ethnic riots followed in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 and, after many attempts to restore better relations, he retired in 1970. In his later years he voiced criticism of the authoritarian leadership of Mahathir bin Muhammad.