Rahah Noah

Rahah binti Mohamed Noah (11 June 1933 – 18 December 2020)[1] was the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak (1922–1976) and the mother of former Prime Minister Najib Razak. She was the daughter of Mohamad Noah Omar, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (1897–1991).

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Noah is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Rahah.
Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun

Rahah Noah

SSM PNBS SIMP SPDK
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role
22 September 1970 – 14 January 1976
MonarchAbdul Halim
Yahya Petra
Prime MinisterAbdul Razak Hussein
Preceded byTun Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah
Succeeded byTun Suhailah Mohamed Noah
Spouse of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role
31 August 1957 – 22 September 1970
MonarchAbdul Rahman
Hishamuddin
Syed Putra
Ismail Nasiruddin
Abdul Halim
Prime MinisterTunku Abdul Rahman
DeputyTun Abdul Razak
Personal details
Born(1933-06-11)11 June 1933
Muar, Johor, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya
Died18 December 2020(2020-12-18) (aged 87)
Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Resting placeMakam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1952⁠–⁠1976)​
ChildrenNajib Razak (more)
FatherMohamad Noah Omar

Biography

Rahah was born on 11 June 1933 in Muar, Johor. She was the youngest of Mohamad Noah Omar's ten children. While attending secondary school in Johor Bahru, Rahah was introduced to Abdul Razak Hussein, by then already an active member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), by Taib Andak, a friend of Abdul Razak while studying in London. They married on 4 September 1952.[2]

Abdul Razak became the second Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1970. As the prime minister's spouse, she served as President of the Girl Guides Association of Malaysia and patron of the Muslim Women's Action Organisation (Pertiwi).[2] In 1976, Razak died in office, leaving Rahah widowed at the relatively young age of 43.

She was the chancellor of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, the university founded in honour of her husband.[2] Since Abdul Razak was the prime minister who established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, all PRC ambassadors made a courtesy call on Rahah upon arriving in Malaysia.[3]

In an interview conducted in 2011, Rahah said she spent most of her time attending religious classes with friends.[4]

Death

Tun Rahah died on 18 December 2020, at 4.45 p.m., following a short illness, at Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. She was 87 years old.[5][6][7][8] She was laid to rest at the Makam Pahlawan (Heroes' Mausoleum) in Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. Her remains were buried beside the grave of her sister Tun Suhailah Mohamed Noah, widow of third Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn, who died on Oct 4, 2014.[9][10][11]

Family

Abdul Razak and Rahah had five children:[2]

  • YB Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak (born 1953), the sixth and former YAB Prime Minister of Malaysia.
  • Ahmad Johari (born 1954)
  • Mohd Nizam (born 1958)
  • Mohd Nazim (born 1962) businessman, husband to former tv presenter and AIDIJUMA entrepreneur Norjuma Habib Mohammed[12]
  • Mohd Nazir (born 1966), the current chief executive of CIMB, one of the largest financial services companies in Malaysia

Rahah's sister, Suhaila, was married to Abdul Razak's successor as prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn.[13]

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

Places named after her

Several places were named after her, including:

See also

References
  1. http://www.perdana.org.my/pms-of-malaysia/tun-abdul-razak/tun-hajah-rahah-binti-tan-sri-haji-mohd-noah-omar
  2. "Tun Rahah Noah". Ensiklopedia Bahasa Malaysia. JBDirectory. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  3. "Malaysian PM's visit seeks more "vertical development" in ties with China". BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific – Political. 1 June 2009.
  4. "Najib's an obedient child, always listen to advice – Tun Rahah". Bernama. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  5. "Najib's mum Tun Rahah passes away at age 87". The Star Online. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  6. "Tun Rahah dies". New Straits Times. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  7. "Tun Rahah meninggal dunia pada usia 87 tahun" (in Malay). Bernama. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  8. "Tun Rahah meninggal dunia" (in Malay). Utusan Malaysia. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  9. "Tun Rahah laid to rest at Heroes' Mausoleum". Bernama. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  10. "Tun Rahah laid to rest at National Heroes Mausoleum". New Straits Times. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  11. "Jenazah Tun Rahah selamat dikebumikan" (in Malay). Harian Metro. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  12. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2005/04/23/nazim-to-wed-former-nona-host-norjuma/
  13. "Najib's three beloved 'swans'". The Malaysian Insider. 31 May 2010. Archived from the original on 9 August 2010.
  14. "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1976" (PDF).
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