Abdul Razak Hussein - Political Involvement

Political Involvement

Upon his return from the United Kingdom, Tun Razak joined the Malayan Civil Service. Owing to his political caliber, he became the youth chief for United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Two years later, he worked as the Assistant State Secretary of Pahang and in February 1955, at just 33 years of age, became Pahang's Chief Minister.

Razak stood in and won a seat in Malaysia's first general elections in July 1955 and was appointed as the Education Minister. He was instrumental in the drafting of the Razak Report which formed the basis of the Malayan education system. Tun Razak was also a member of the February 1956 mission to London to seek the independence of Malaya from the British.

After the general elections in 1959, he became the Minister of Rural Development in addition to holding the portfolios of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. His achievements include formulating the development policy known as the Red Book.

His political involvement were marred by his involvement with Harun Idris and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, creating the infamous racial troubles known as May 13 incident, a day that changed Malaysian politics where the entire nation lived in infamy. Most of the Malay-rights affirmative programme were indirectly attributed to his adminsitration.