Nik Ahmad Kamil Nik Mahmud
Encyclopedia
Tan Sri Nik Ahmad Kamil bin Nik Mahmud (July 7, 1909 – December 20, 1977) was a Malaysian politician who played an active role during the country's road to independence. A prominent member of the United Malays National Organisation
(UMNO) in the state of Kelantan
, he served as the fourth Speaker
of the Dewan Rakyat
, the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament
.
Nik Ahmad Kamil was a lawyer and a member of the Bar. His daughter, Nik Mariah was also a lawyer and member of the Bar.
in 1909. His father, Nik Mahmud Nik Ismail was the Menteri Besar of Kelantan. He was educated at Madrasah Muhammadiah, Kota Bharu and Malay College Kuala Kangsar
. After studying Arts at the University of Bristol
, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws
from Lincoln's Inn
in 1930. He was called to the Bar that year.
He joined the Kelantan civil service under the British colonial administration
in 1930 and served as State Secretary from 1934 to 1938, succeeding his uncle. In 1938, he was appointed Deputy Menteri Besar under his father. He succeeded his father as Menteri Besar in 1942 and held the post throughout the Japanese occupation.
period, Nik Ahmed served as Deputy Resident Commissioner in Kelantan under the new system of government. However, he became a staunch opponent of the Malayan Union and led the Persatuan Melayu Kelantan (Kelantan Malay Association, PKM) in protesting the new system, which he felt infringed upon the rights of the Malays
and their rulers. He represented PKM at the first Pan-Malayan Malay Congress in Johor Bahru
in 1946 which saw the founding of the United Malays National Organisation
(UMNO). He was an active member of UMNO, serving on its executive committee. When the Malayan Union was finally dissolved in 1948, Nik Ahmad Kamil continued as Menteri Besar of Kelantan under the new Federation of Malaya
until 1953.
. He was selected by Onn to join a working committee in charge of drafting a charter for the newly-formed UMNO. He followed Onn's exit from UMNO in 1951 and joined the Independence of Malaya Party
and Parti Negara
, two parties formed by Onn in opposition to UMNO and the Alliance Party. He was chosen to serve under the Member System
from 1953 to 1956, and held the Lands, Mines and Communications portfolio and later the Local Government, Housing and Town Development portfolio.
in 1955, Nik Ahmad Kamil contested a seat as a Parti Negara candidate. He lost, and Parti Negara was swept aside by the Alliance Party led by Tunku Abdul Rahman
. Realizing that Parti Negara had failed to gain relevance among the people of Malaya, he left to rejoin UMNO. He served under the new Alliance government as Commissioner of Trade to Australia
from 1956 to 1957.
as one of four representatives of the Malay rulers. Following the independence of Malaya on August 31, 1957, he was appointed the first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
and served until 1958. He remained in the diplomatic circles and served as both Permanent Representative to the United Nations
as well as Ambassador to the United States
from 1959 to 1962.
and won the Kota Bharu Hilir parliamentary seat in Kelantan. However, UMNO still lost out to the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Kelantan. In the next next election
in 1969, he won the Ulu Kelantan seat as PAS retained control of the state.
He served as a member of the UMNO supreme council and later became its permanent chairman. In 1971, he was elected Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. In 1974, he succeeded C.M. Yusuf
as Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
, as position he held until his passing.
on December 19, 1977. He died the following morning.
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
(UMNO) in the state of Kelantan
Kelantan
Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....
, he served as the fourth Speaker
Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, organising debates, and examining the admissibility of petitions, bills and amendments.In the absence of the...
of the Dewan Rakyat
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
, the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament
Parliament of Malaysia
The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....
.
Nik Ahmad Kamil was a lawyer and a member of the Bar. His daughter, Nik Mariah was also a lawyer and member of the Bar.
Early life and career
Nik Ahmad Kamil was born in Kota BharuKota Bharu
Kota Bharu is a city in Malaysia, is the state capital and Royal City of Kelantan. It is also the name of the territory in which Kota Bharu City is situated. The name means 'new city' or 'new castle/fort' in Malay. Kota Bharu is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, and lies...
in 1909. His father, Nik Mahmud Nik Ismail was the Menteri Besar of Kelantan. He was educated at Madrasah Muhammadiah, Kota Bharu and Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Malay College Kuala Kangsar
The Malay College Kuala Kangsar is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys and all-Malay school located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak...
. After studying Arts at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in 1930. He was called to the Bar that year.
He joined the Kelantan civil service under the British colonial administration
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
in 1930 and served as State Secretary from 1934 to 1938, succeeding his uncle. In 1938, he was appointed Deputy Menteri Besar under his father. He succeeded his father as Menteri Besar in 1942 and held the post throughout the Japanese occupation.
Political career
From 1946 to 1948, during the Malayan UnionMalayan Union
The Malayan Union was a federation of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government so as to simplify administration. The Malayan Union later became the independent...
period, Nik Ahmed served as Deputy Resident Commissioner in Kelantan under the new system of government. However, he became a staunch opponent of the Malayan Union and led the Persatuan Melayu Kelantan (Kelantan Malay Association, PKM) in protesting the new system, which he felt infringed upon the rights of the Malays
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
and their rulers. He represented PKM at the first Pan-Malayan Malay Congress in Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
in 1946 which saw the founding of the United Malays National Organisation
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
(UMNO). He was an active member of UMNO, serving on its executive committee. When the Malayan Union was finally dissolved in 1948, Nik Ahmad Kamil continued as Menteri Besar of Kelantan under the new Federation of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
until 1953.
Parti Negara
Nik Ahmad Kamil was a close supporter of UMNO founder Onn JaafarOnn Jaafar
Dato' Sir Onn bin Ja'afar, KBE was a Malay politician and a Menteri Besar of Johore in Malaysia, then Malaya. He was the founder of United Malays National Organization and was also responsible for the social economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority...
. He was selected by Onn to join a working committee in charge of drafting a charter for the newly-formed UMNO. He followed Onn's exit from UMNO in 1951 and joined the Independence of Malaya Party
Independence of Malaya Party
The Independence of Malaya Party was a political party in British-ruled Malaya that stood for political independence. Founded by Onn Ja'afar after he left UMNO in 1951, it opposed the UMNO policy of Malay supremacy....
and Parti Negara
Parti Negara
Parti Negara was a Malay-based political party which was formed by former leaders of the Independence of Malaya Party in 1953, and formally launched in February 1954...
, two parties formed by Onn in opposition to UMNO and the Alliance Party. He was chosen to serve under the Member System
Member System
The Member System, modeled on the cabinet system, was created by British authorities in Malaysia to provide self-governance. Like the Communities Liaison Committee, it drew on members of different communities, and was later described as setting a precedent for the powersharing multiracial Malayan...
from 1953 to 1956, and held the Lands, Mines and Communications portfolio and later the Local Government, Housing and Town Development portfolio.
Back in UMNO
In the first ever federal electionsMalayan general election, 1955
General elections were held in Malaya on 27 July 1955, the only general elections before Malaya's independence in 1957. It was held to elect members of the Federal Legislative Council, which prior to this was fully appointed by the British High Commissioner in Malaya.The election was the first in...
in 1955, Nik Ahmad Kamil contested a seat as a Parti Negara candidate. He lost, and Parti Negara was swept aside by the Alliance Party led by 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...
. Realizing that Parti Negara had failed to gain relevance among the people of Malaya, he left to rejoin UMNO. He served under the new Alliance government as Commissioner of Trade to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1956 to 1957.
Diplomacy
Nik Ahmad Kamil joined the 1956 Merdeka Delegation led by the Tunku to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as one of four representatives of the Malay rulers. Following the independence of Malaya on August 31, 1957, he was appointed the first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and served until 1958. He remained in the diplomatic circles and served as both Permanent Representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
as well as Ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1959 to 1962.
Return to active politics
Nik Ahmad Kamil returned to contest the 1964 general electionMalaysian general election, 1964
General elections were held in Malaysia on 25 April 1964. The result was a victory for the Alliance Party, which won 89 of the 104 seats. Voter turnout was 78.9%.The result also contributed towards the eventual expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia...
and won the Kota Bharu Hilir parliamentary seat in Kelantan. However, UMNO still lost out to the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Kelantan. In the next next election
Malaysian general election, 1969
General elections were held in Malaysia on 10 May 1969, although voting was postponed until between 21 and 27 June in Sabah and Sarawak. It resulted in the return to power, with a reduced majority, of the ruling Alliance Party, comprising the United Malays National Organization , the Malayan...
in 1969, he won the Ulu Kelantan seat as PAS retained control of the state.
He served as a member of the UMNO supreme council and later became its permanent chairman. In 1971, he was elected Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. In 1974, he succeeded C.M. Yusuf
Chik Mohamad Yusuf
Tan Sri Chik Mohamad Yusuf bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman was the third Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house in the Malaysian Parliament....
as Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, organising debates, and examining the admissibility of petitions, bills and amendments.In the absence of the...
, as position he held until his passing.
Death
Nik Ahmed Kamil suffered a heart attack while carrying out his duties in the Parliament buildingMalaysian Houses of Parliament
The Malaysian Houses of Parliament is a building complex where the Malaysian Parliament assembles. The structure is located at the Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur, right next to the Malaysian National Monument.-Description:...
on December 19, 1977. He died the following morning.