Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim
Malaysian Minister of Information, Communications and Culture
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 April 2009
Preceded by	Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Information) Shafie Apdal (Culture)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Jelebu
Incumbent
Assumed office 1999
Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 18 March 2008 – 9 April 2009
Preceded by	Syed Hamid Albar
Succeeded by	Anifah Aman
Personal details
Born	(1942-04-15) 15 April 1942 (age 70) Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan
Political party	UMNO – BN (1974-1988; 1996-present) S46 (1988-1996)
Spouse(s)	Masnah Rais
Children	4
Occupation	Member of Parliament Minister
Religion	Islam

Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim (born in Jelebu, 15 April 1942) is the current Malaysian Information, Communications, and Culture Minister. His ministry is considered a new ministry formed from the merger of three separate ministries in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's smaller cabinet. He is the longest serving Cabinet member of the Federal Government, having served five Prime Ministers since 1974.

He is also a Member of Parliament from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the leading party in the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional.

Origin[link]

Rais was born on April 15, 1942 in Kampung Gagu, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan.

Education and legal career[link]

He is a lawyer by profession. In 1964, he graduated from Language Institute (also known as Language Teaching College), Kuala Lumpur. In 1968, he taught Bahasa Malaysia to the American Peace Corps in the United States. He obtained his honors degree from National University of Singapore. In 1994, he obtained a PhD from King's College London. His doctoral dissertation was eventually published in 1995 as Freedom Under Executive Power in Malaysia: A Study of Executive Supremacy.^[1]

Political career[link]

Rais has held various positions in the national cabinet and other state government positions. He had been appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan (1978 - 1982), Minister of Land and Regional Development (1982-1984), Minister of Information (1984-1986) and Foreign Minister (1986-1987).

When he fell out of favour of the UMNO leadership in April 1987, he resumed his law career. Rais worked with a firm called Ram, Rais & Partner (1987-1999) before being reappointed as cabinet minister in 1999.

In June 2007, Rais was nominated as a candidate for the post of the next Commonwealth Secretary-General after Don McKinnon's term in office ended in March 2008. However, he pulled out on July 26, citing the lateness of campaigning, and his duties and commitments as the Main Committee of the upcoming 50th Merdeka celebrations, which limited him from traveling out of the country to lobby for his candidacy.^[2]

Rais served another term as Foreign Minister from March 18, 2008 until April 9, 2009. Since April 10, 2009, he has been the Information, Communications & Culture Minister.

Personal life[link]

Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim is married to Datin Seri Utama Masnah Rais and has four children. His hobbies are photography and travelling. He is also a writer on the subjects of law, politics, and Malay society.

References[link]

Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee, (March 22, 1929 – May 29, 1973) was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and his literary work, he is often considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra (especially in Aceh due to his ancestry).

Early life[link]

P. Ramlee was born Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh, on the first day of the Eid festival, which fell on 22 March 1929. His father, Teuku Nyak Puteh, was a sailor from Aceh, who later married Che Mah Hussain.

He attended Sekolah Melayu Kampung Jawa (Kampung Jawa Malay School) and Sekolah Francis Light primary schools. Next he went to the famous Penang Free School secondary school until the second World War broke out. During the Japanese occupation years in Malaysia, he continued his studies at the Japanese Navy Academy. When the war ended, he resumed his studies in Penang Free School,and was very active in sports.

Career[link]

In 1947, he won the first place in a song competition organized by Penang Radio. Seven years after his acting career started, P. Ramlee directed his first film, Penarek Becha. In 1957, he appeared in the first of his Bujang Lapok comedic films, in which he acted along with Aziz Sattar and S. Shamsuddin, and which are still popular among modern Malay film watchers.^[1] During his career he directed and acted in 66 films, and had more than 360 songs to his credit.^[2]

He returned permanently to Kuala Lumpur after years with Shaw Brothers in Singapore. His final film was Laksamana Do Re Mi in 1973. In his last song, "Air Mata di Kuala Lumpur" (Tears in Kuala Lumpur), also in 1973, the lyrics depict his crushed feelings from a series of disappointments and setbacks upon returning to Malaysia after years in Singapore.^[3]

Family[link]

P. Ramlee was married three times. His first marriage, to Junaidah in 1950, ended in a divorce four years later. His second marriage, in 1955 to Noorizan Mohd. Noor, a member of the Royal family of State of Perak, ended in divorce in 1961. His last marriage was on 21 November 1961, to Salmah Ismail, a very famous singer known as Saloma.

Death and legacy[link]

On 27 May 1973, P. Ramlee died at the age of 44 from a heart attack and was buried in Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery, in Kuala Lumpur. The death was a shock to the nation, and a sense of collective guilt began to spread nationwide,^{[citation needed]} as prior to his death he had been discredited and rejected by his own nation,^{[by whom?]} citing that he was a "has been" and that his songs and film were no longer marketable.^{[citation needed]}

In 1986, 13 years after his death, in honor of his contributions to the Malaysian entertainment industry, the P. Ramlee Memorial or Pustaka Peringatan P. Ramlee was built in his home in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. In 1982, the street Jalan Parry, in the center of Kuala Lumpur, was renamed Jalan P. Ramlee in his honor. In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the Malaysian honorific title Tan Sri, and then in 2009, the honorific title of "Datuk Amar" by Sarawak State Government. The Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud, an avid fan of P. Ramlee, presented the award to his adopted daughter, Dian P. Ramlee, in a ceremony honoring veteran artists in Kuching.^[4] On 31 October 2010, a 90-minute documentary on his life was aired on History Channel Asia.^[5]

The P. Ramlee House is a museum situated along Jalan P. Ramlee (formerly Caunter Hall road) in Penang, Malaysia. The building is a restored wooden house that was originally built in 1926 by his father and uncle. The house had previously undergone multiple repairs before being taken over by the National Archives as an extension of its P. Ramlee Memorial project in Kuala Lumpur. Items on display at the house include personal memorabilia related to his life in Penang, and items belonging to his family.

Places named in honor of Ramlee[link]

• Jalan P. Ramlee, Penang (formerly known as Counter Hall; renamed in 30 August 1983)
• Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur (formerly known as Jalan Parry; renamed in 1982)
• Bangunan P. Ramlee,Sekolah Kebangsaan Hulu Klang, Selangor (used as background in Masam Masam Manis)
• Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuching, Sarawak (formerly known as Jalan Jawa)
• P. Ramlee Auditorium (formerly known as RTM Auditorium)
• SK Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Georgetown, Penang (formerly SK Kampung Jawa, his alma mater; renamed on 13 November 2011)

Awards[link]

His award-winning films are:

• Anakku Sazali (My Son Sazali): Best Male Actor, 4th Asian Film Festival (Tokyo, 1957)
• Hang Tuah (Legend of Hang Tuah): Best Musical Score, 3rd Asian Film Festival (Hong Kong 1956) and Official screening at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival in 1957. The only P. Ramlee movie to be filmed in color.
• Ibu Mertuaku (My Mother-in-Law): Most Versatile Talent, 10th Asian Film Festival (Tokyo, 1963)
• Madu Tiga (Three Wives): Best Comedy, 11th Asian Film Festival (Taipei, 1964)
• Nujum Pak Belalang (Pak Belalang the Fortune Teller): Best Comedy, 7th Asian Film Festival (Tokyo, 1960)
• Pendekar Bujang Lapok (The Three Warrior Bachelors): Best Comedy, 6th Asian Film Festival (Kuala Lumpur, 1959)
• Sumpah Orang Minyak (Curse of the Oily Man): Best Black and White Photography, 5th Asian Film Festival (Manila, 1958)

His other hononary awards are:

• Ahli Mangku Negara (AMN), conferred by His Majesty Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail in 1962.
• Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM), carrying the posthumous title of "Tan Sri" by HRH Sultan Azlan Shah in 1990.
• Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Kenyalang Sarawak "Datuk Amar Bintang Kenyalang (Posthumous)" ( D.A.(P) ), carrying the title "Datuk Amar" by the Sarawak State Government in 2009.
• Hononary Doctorate in Performance Arts, 2005

Films[link]

See the P. Ramlee filmography for a complete list. All of his films are now the property of the Shaw Organisation.

Links[link]

• P.Ramlee's Profile, sinemamalaysia.com.my (Bahasa Malaysia)
• P. Ramlee Cyber Museum
• P. Ramlee: Namamu Dijulang, Jasamu Dikenang Astro special tribute Program, October 2010

References[link]