Raja Uda

Yang Berhormat Mulia Tun Dato’ Seri Utama Sir
Raja Uda
SMN KBE CMG CBE
Yang Berhormat Mulia Tun Dato’ Seri Utama Sir Raja Uda SMN KBE CMG CBE
1st Governor of Penang
	In office; 30 August 1957 – 30 August 1967
Chief Minister	Wong Pow Nee
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Syed Sheh Shahabudin
2nd and 4th Menteri Besar of Selangor
	In office; September 1954 – August 1955
Monarch	Hisamuddin Alam Shah
Preceded by	Othman bin Muhammad
Succeeded by	Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Majid
	In office; July 1949 – March 1953
Monarch	Hisamuddin Alam Shah
Preceded by	Hamzah bin Abdullah
Succeeded by	Othman bin Muhammad
Personal details
Born	Raja Uda bin Raja Muhammad; 1894; Kuala Langat, Selangor, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died	17 October 1976 (aged 81–82); Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Resting place	Klang Royal Mausoleum, Selangor
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Raja Maslamah binti Raja Busu ; Tengku Badariah binti Al-Marhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah ; Tengku Nor Saadah binti Al-Marhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman
Parents	His Highness Raja Muhammad bin YM Raja Usman bin YM Raja Umar bin YM Raja Busu Hassan ibni almarhum DYTM Raja Muda Nala ibni almarhum DYMM Sultan Salehuddin (father); Her Highness Raja Embut Long binti Raja Barkat (mother);
Residence	Seri Mutiara
Profession	Politician

Raja Tun Sir Haji Uda bin almrhum Raja Muhammad SMN KBE CMG (1894 – 17 October 1976) was a Malaysian statesman during the country's struggle for independence and its early years of nationhood. He was a civil servant under the British colonial administration, and eventually rose to important administrative positions within the government. Upon the independence of Malaya in 1957, he became the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Penang, one of the four states in Malaysia without a hereditary ruler.

Raja Uda was also the grandfather of Malaysian political blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Biography

Raja Uda was a member of the Selangor royal family, being a distant cousin of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah and a direct descendant of the first Sultan of Selangor. He married Sultan Hisamuddin's sister, Tengku Badariah binti Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah.^[1]

Educated at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Raja Uda joined the colonial government service in 1910 at age 16. In 1939, he was appointed as secretary to the British Resident of Selangor. He was Menteri Besar of Selangor twice, from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1954 to 1955. In between, Raja Uda served as Malayan High Commissioner in the United Kingdom. He was involved in negotiations with the British to establish the Member System in the 1950s.^[2]

In 1951, Raja Uda was appointed a CMG and appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1953,^{[citation needed]}. Following the first ever general election in 1955, Raja Uda was appointed Speaker of the Federal Legislative Council.

On August 30, 1957, the day before independence, Raja Uda was appointed the first Governor of the state of Penang and served for ten years.

Raja Tun Uda died on October 17, 1976, and he was buried at the Selangor royal mausoleum near Sultan Sulaiman Mosque in Klang, Selangor.

Legacy

Several projects and institutions were named after him, including:

The neighbourhood of Kampung Raja Uda, Port Klang, Selangor
- KD17 Kampung Raja Uda Komuter station
PY19 Raja Uda MRT station
Perpustakaan Raja Tun Uda or Raja Tun Uda Library in Shah Alam, Selangor.
The Weld Quay in George Town, Penang was renamed Pengkalan Raja Tun Uda.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Raja Tun Uda (SMKRTU) in Bayan Lepas, Penang
Masjid Jamek Raja Tun Uda, the first mosque built in Shah Alam, Selangor located at Section 16.

Streets

Jalan Raja Uda in Butterworth, Penang

Honours

Honour of Penang

As 1st Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang (31 August 1957 – 30 August 1967)
- Grand Master and Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (1 August 1967 – 30 August 1967)^[3]