Zaleha Ismail

Tan Sri Datin Paduka Seri Hajah Zaleha binti Ismail[1] (Jawi: زاليها بنت اسماعيل) (18 May 1936 – 14 November 2020) was a Malaysian politician and among the women's leaders in Malaysia. She served as Minister of National Unity and Community Development from 1995 to 1999. Her friendly attitude led many to enjoy it.


Zaleha Ismail

زاليها بنت اسماعيل
Minister of National Unity and Community Development
In office
8 May 1995  14 December 1999
MonarchJa’afar
Salahuddin
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
DeputyPeter Tinggom Kamarau
Preceded byNapsiah Omar
Succeeded bySiti Zaharah Sulaiman
ConstituencyGombak
Deputy Minister of Transport
In office
20 May 1987  7 May 1995
MonarchIskandar
Azlan Shah
Ja'afar
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
MinisterLing Liong Sik
Preceded byRahmah Othman
Succeeded byMohd Ali Rustam
ConstituencySelayang
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Gombak
In office
24 April 1995  21 March 2004
Preceded byConstituency Established
Succeeded byRahman Ismail (UMNOBN)
Majority30,878 (1995)
803 (1999)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Selayang
In office
3 August 1986  24 April 1995
Preceded byRahmah Othman (UMNOBN)
Succeeded byChan Kong Choy (MCABN)
Majority31,472 (1986)
31,142 (1990)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Tanjong Karang
In office
22 April 1982  3 August 1986
Preceded byAbd Shukur Siraj (UMNOBN)
Succeeded byKamaruzaman Ahmad (UMNOBN)
Majority11,059 (1982)
Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly
for Permatang
In office
8 July 1978  22 April 1982
Preceded byMohd Said Bahir (UMNOBN)
Succeeded byKhalid Ahmad (UMNOBN)
Majority2,739 (1978)
Personal details
Born(1936-05-18)18 May 1936
Kuala Langat, Selangor, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died14 November 2020(2020-11-14) (aged 84)
KPJ Tawakkal Specialist Hospital, Kuala Lumpur
Resting placeTaman Ibukota Muslim Cemetery, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur
CitizenshipMalaysian
Political partyUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
Other political
affiliations
Barisan Nasional (BN)
Perikatan Nasional (PN)
Muafakat Nasional (MN)
Alma materUniversity of Malaya
OccupationPolitician

Background

She was born in Kuala Langat, Selangor. She attended the Sungai Pelek Malay School and University of Malaya – Bachelor of Arts (Economics) in 1961.

Career

At Radio Malaya[2] (1962–1968) she worked as a Plan Assistant, then Manager of the English Service Plan. Additionally, she was a part-time Lecturer and Tutor at University of Malaya, while in 1968–1978 she became the Encyclopedia Officer in Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and subsequently the Deputy Head of Textbook Division.

Tan Sri Datin Paduka Hajah Zaleha Ismail as well as Vice President of MUBARAK, was a former Malaysian MP and President of the Malaysian Council for Children Welfare, Women's Association of the ASEAN Association of Women, and President of the National Council of Women's Organizations. She was also equally influential regionally and internationally, as she was elected President of the Association of Women's Organizations (ACWO) in 1986 until 1988.

Tan Sri Datin Paduka Zaleha continued to serve at ACWO even after she supported the president in various capacities such as Vice President, Honorary Treasurer, and general secretary before being re-elected to lead ACWO as president in 1998 to 2000. She was also the Chairperson of the Population and Development Board Country Family in Malaysia. Tan Sri Datin Paduka Hajah Zaleha Ismail was the Chairperson of Global Peace Foundation Malaysia[3] and Spark Capital Development Berhad.

Politics

In 1968 she became a regular member of UMNO and eventually the UMNO Supreme Council of Malaysia. She was involved in politics for 30 years. She started contesting the 1978 general election for the Permatang seat of Selangor State Legislative Assembly. She was Member of Parliament for Tanjong Karang (1982–1986) and Selayang (1986–1995) afterward. She continued to be Deputy Transport Minister from 1987 to 1995 when she became a member of parliament for Gombak (1995–2004). The peak of her career came as she took on the National Unity & Ministry of Social Development as Minister, from 1995 to 1999. In Malaysia's 1999 general election, she defeated Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Dr. Hatta Ramli with a majority of 803 votes.

Death

On 14 November 2020, Zaleha Ismail died of several health complications at 8.15 pm at Tawakkal Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. She was 84 years old.[4]

Election results

Selangor State Legislative Assembly
Year Constituency Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
1978 N10 Permatang Zaleha Ismail (UMNO) 4,865 60.45% Norhadi Hasan Ali (PAS) 1,057 13.13% N/A 2,739 N/A
Supian Sirman (IND) 2,126 26.42%
Parliament of Malaysia[5]
Year Constituency Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
1982 P074 Tanjong Karang, Selangor Zaleha Ismail (UMNO) 16,396 75.44% Abd Rahim Awang (PAS) 5,337 24.56% 22,856 11,059 68.63%
1986 P087 Selayang, Selangor Zaleha Ismail (UMNO) 40,681 81.54% Talib Bakti (PAS) 9,209 18.46% 52,160 31,472 67.10%
1990 Zaleha Ismail (UMNO) 51,062 71.94% Lee Yee Lian (DAP) 19,920 28.06% 73,482 31,142 73.86%
1995 P091 Gombak, Selangor Zaleha Ismail (UMNO) 38,763 83.10% Ismail Nahu (PAS) 7,885 16.90% 47,973 30,878 70.93%
1999 Zaleha Ismail (UMNO) 28,113 50.72% Mohd Hatta Ramli (PAS) 27,310 49.28% 56,074 803 75.83%

Honours

She was awarded the Seri Mahkota Selangor Star, Bintang Kesatria Mangku Negara and Datuk Paduka Mahkota Selangor in 1979. Among the recent awards was the Global Peace Award in 2011, "Ibu Harmoni Tokoh" Award 2013 and Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor for Women leading in Amal.[1]

Honours of Malaysia

References

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