Tan Sri

Malay titles

The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....

 Megat Junid Bin Megat Ayub (1942 - 24 January 2008) was a Malaysian politician and direct descendant of Megat Terawis, a bendahara

Bendahara

Bendahara is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a hereditary post. It was the office that is held by bendahara family...

 of Perak.

Politics

Megat Junid was a teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

 by profession and first met former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the early 1970s. Mahathir was living in exile for criticizing then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, AC, CH was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957. He remained as the Prime Minister after Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined the...

 at the time of their meeting. Junid soon left teaching in order to become Mahathir's special assistant.

Juind was first elected as a Malaysian MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 at the same time that Mahathir became Prime minister of the country. He was appointed Primary Industries Deputy Minister in Mahathir's government, just two years later.

In 1986, Mahathir next appointed Junid to be his deputy in the Home Affairs Ministry

Interior minister

An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...

. Junid's tenure as the deputy Home Affairs minister was rocked by several controversies, including illegal immigration

Illegal immigration

Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...

, a psike in illicit drug use and Operation Lalang

Operation Lalang

Operation Lalang was carried out on October 27, 1987 by the Malaysian police to crack down on opposition leaders and social activists...

 of 1987.

Junid was appointed to become Malaysia's Domestic Trade

Domestic trade

Domestic trade, also known as internal trade or home trade, is the exchange of domestic goods within the boundaries of a country. This may be sub-divided into two categories, wholesale and retail. Wholesale trade is concerned with buying goods from manufacturers or dealers in large quantities and...

 and Consumer Affairs Minister

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

 in 1997. He served at that post for two years until he lost his seat in parliament to a PAS

PAS (political party)

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...

 candidate in the 1999 "Reformasi

Reformasi

Reformasi is both a Malay and Indonesian word for reform or reformation. It may refer to the:*The Post-Suharto era in Indonesia that began immediately after the downfall of Suharto as president in 1998...

" elections.

Death

Megat Junid died on 24 January 2008, aged 65, at the Pantai Medical Centre in Bangsar

Bangsar

Bangsar, also Bungsar , is an affluent residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, lying about south-west of the city centre. It is part of the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency...

 following a battle with prostate cancer

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...

. His body was buried at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery

Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery

The Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery is a cemetery at the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located near Taman Tun Dr Ismail.- Notable burials :*Kamaluddin Muhamad — Malay author *Usman Awang — Malay author ...

 in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, Malaysia. He was a resident of Kelana Jaya

Kelana Jaya

Kelana Jaya is a suburb of Petaling Jaya city, in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Kelana Centre Point is a popular shopping mall in this township...

.

External links

• The Star: Megat Junid dies