Hishammuddin Hussein

Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Panglima Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Sembrong MP (Johore)
Hishammuddin Hussein in 2006 as Education Minister.
Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 April 2009
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Preceded by	Syed Hamid Albar
Vice President of United Malays National Organisation
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 March 2009
President	Najib Razak
Preceded by	Mohd Ali Rustam
Malaysian Minister of Education
In office 31 March 2004 – 9 April 2009
Prime Minister	Abdullah Bandawi
Preceded by	Musa Mohamad
Succeeded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
Chairman of UMNO's Youth Wing
In office 31 March 2004 – 26 March 2009
Preceded by	Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Succeeded by	Khairy Jamaluddin
Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports
In office 1999 – 30 March 2004
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohammed
Preceded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
Succeeded by	Azalina Othman Said
Personal details
Born	(1961-08-05) 5 August 1961 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Political party	UMNO – Barisan Nasional
Spouse	Yang Mulia Tengku Datin Seri Marsilla Tengku Abdullah
Relations	Tun Hussein Onn (father)
Occupation	Malaysia Member of Parliament

Datuk Seri Panglima Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein (born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician and member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He has served in the government of Malaysia as Minister of Home Affairs since 2009; previously he was Minister of Education from 2004 to 2009. He has been mentioned as a likely successor to his cousin, Prime Minister Najib Razak. He is the son of Malaysia's third prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn and the nephew of Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak.

Biography

Datuk Seri Panglima Hishammuddin is the son of Tun Dato' Hussein Onn, the third Prime Minister of Malaysia and the grandson of Dato' Onn Jaafar, a prominent Malay leader and the founder of UMNO. He is also the cousin of the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Tun Razak.

He was attending Malay College Kuala Kangsar before his father became Deputy Prime Minister in 1973. Upon his father's appointment to the post, he attended St. John's Institution in Kuala Lumpur before going on to the Alice Smith School, also in Kuala Lumpur. From Alice Smith School, he went to the English public school, Cheltenham College.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1984. He also attended London School of Economics and received a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Commercial and Corporate Law in 1988.

Prior to his commencing his political career, Hishammuddin was formerly a lawyer with the large Malaysian firm then known as Skrine & Co. (now known as Skrine) and later, a firm then known as Lee Hishammuddin (now known as Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill).

His wife, Yang Mulia Tengku Datin Seri Panglima Marsilla Tengku Abdullah, is a princess from the state of Pahang, Malaysia.

Controversies

Waving the keris

File:Hisham Keris.jpeg

Hishammuddin's act of waving the keris (traditional Malay dagger) at the UMNO Annual General Meeting in 2005 drew applause from the UMNO delegates.

In 2005, Hishammuddin waved the keris at the UMNO Annual General Meeting. Commentators perceived this action as meant to defend the Malay Special Rights (Hak Keistimewaan Melayu) detailed in Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia and in the social contract. Although applauded by the Malay delegates, the picture of Hishammuddin waving the keris was widely ridiculed in the Malaysian blogosphere. Due to this incident some section of the public referred to him as Hishammudin Tauke Keris (The Keris Merchant) or simply as Hishammudin Keris.

In response to concerns over the racial rhetoric, then Vice President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that "Although some sides were a bit extreme [this year], it is quite normal to voice feelings during the assembly."

The Deputy Chief of the Youth wing, Khairy Jamaluddin, insisted that "while there is nothing extraordinary about this year’s congress and that similar sentiments have been raised in the past, these feelings have never compromised the ultimate manifestation of governance in this country through BN’s power-sharing formula."

Hishammuddin also defended the delegates' actions, saying that events earlier in the year related to the status of Islam in Malaysia and the NEP had "played on the Malay psyche. If they had not been allowed to release their feelings in a controlled channel, it could have been even worse." He defended his usage of the keris, saying it was meant "to motivate the Malays" and that it "is here to stay", denying that it was a symbol of Malay supremacy (ketuanan Melayu).

Hishammuddin also asserted that "The keris is on the Umno flag...It is a symbol of Malay culture. You give keris as gifts to non-Malays, and non-Malays give them to me at functions."

"Cow-Head" Fiasco

See also: Cow head protests

Hishammuddin found himself being attacked by the opposition when Hishammuddin took a firm stand trying to solve the "cow-head demonstration issue". In 2009 residents of Taman Ixora Section 23, Shah Alam, was shocked as the state government wanted to relocate a temple in a majority Muslim area. It was reported that 95% of the resident are Muslim families while only 0.5% Hindus. The protest was caught on video by the popular Malaysian news online portal Malaysiakini who did their best to point the fingers at UMNO leaders.

The protesters, with a group of about 50, marched a few hundred meters carrying the decapitated head of a cow. The cow is a sacred animal in the Hindu religion. However, it is said that the protester are not angry at Hindus but they use the cow head as a symbol. In Malay folk stories a cow is considered as less intelligent than any other animals. Hence the popular idiom "Bodoh Macam Lembu" or as stupid as a cow. Their target was not directed towards the Hindu community but The State Government Of Selangor.

It must always be highlighted that the real reason for this demonstration is that, the Selangor state government did not discuss the issue with the residents first. They only knew about the relocation after they applied the same land to build a volunteer fire fighter brigade. The state government should discuss with with the residence first rather than making decision that involves something sensitive like this.

In response the Malaysian Home Minister, invited the protesters to a discussion. In a press conference later, Hishammuddin defended the actions of the protesters saying that they cannot be blamed as the Hindus can practice their right to religion, the protester must also enjoy their right to speak. He cited several reasons:

• Although the demonstration was illegal & without a government-issued permit, the protesters had limited the size of their demonstration
• The state government had made a poor decision in relocating the Hindu temple
• The people should be allowed space to voice their opinions
• Similar incidents have happened before (pig heads being thrown into UMNO grounds)

Hishamuddin, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the government multimedia agency, sent a letter to Malaysiakini.com appealing for it to take down both videos. The video was edited by MalaysiaKini.Com as to show the bad sides of the protester/UMNO and also the Malay race..

Accusation of Anwar Ibrahim as an CIA agent

In July 2010, he had, along with Information Minister Rais Yatim, accused Anwar Ibrahim of being a CIA agent based on a blog article. However, Hishamuddin admitted the Home Ministry "doesn't know if Anwar is a tool (of the CIA) or not". This revelation was not based on any evidence, as he admitted, but on an article by an American blogger. Mysteriously, he added that "action" would only be taken if "national security" was threatened although espionage, i.e. working for a foreign intelligence agency, is a crime.

According to John Malott, a former US Ambassador in Malaysia from 1995 to 1998, this was not the first time UMNO made these accusations. In 2000, he had dealt with these allegations when the Malaysian government failed to prosecute Anwar. This time round it seems the government is unwilling to prosecute too. "Today, twelve years after I met with Abdullah (Badawi, who was then Foreign Minister), Malaysia still has not offered any proof that Anwar is an American agent - because it is NOT true," he wrote. Malott also accused the Malaysian government and various media of disseminating false news.

However we should not take into full account the statement made by the former USA Ambassador. He denied any claim that Anwar Ibrahim is a CIA agent. How many countries exposes their intelligent operatives in another land? Would you tell others about your operatives.

External links

• Sembrong Community Portal

Notes and references

• Ooi, Jeff (2005). "The 30% solution". Retrieved Nov. 17, 2005.