Abdul Ghani Othman

Abdul Ghani bin Othman
Born	(1946-11-14) November 14, 1946 Muar, Johor, Malaysia
Occupation(s)	Politician, Chairman of Sime Darby Berhad
Years active	1984–present
Known for	14th Menteri Besar of Johor (1995–2013)

Abdul Ghani bin Othman (Jawi: عبدالغاني بن عثمان; born 14 November 1946) held the position of the 14th Menteri Besar of Johor, Malaysia, from 1995 until 2013. He is affiliated with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, where he occupied significant roles such as Chairman of the Ledang Division, Johor State Liaison Chairman, and a member of the National Supreme Council. Since 1 July 2013, he has been serving as the Chairman of Sime Darby Berhad, one of Malaysia's prominent conglomerates.

Early life and education

His early education was at Tangkak Boys School followed by Muar High School. Awarded a Colombo Plan scholarship, he pursued his undergraduate studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics with Honours. Subsequently, he earned a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Queensland. Upon returning to Malaysia, he joined the Economics Faculty at University Malaya between 1974 and 1980 and was later appointed Dean of the School from 1980 to 1984. Additionally, he fulfilled duties as Master of First College (Residential) at University of Malaya during 1979–1984.

Political career

Abdul Ghani entered politics as a Senator from December 1984 until July 1986. He then secured a seat in the Federal Parliament during the 1986 general election.

Between May 1987 and November 1990, he served as Deputy Minister for Energy, Telecommunication and Post before transitioning to Deputy Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993.

In December 1993, Abdul Ghani was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports (1993–1995), where he initiated the 'Rakan Muda' national youth program aimed at involving Malaysian youth in sports and cultural engagements.

After winning the Johor State Legislative Assembly seat for Serom in 1995, he was appointed Menteri Besar of Johor, a role he fulfilled for 17 years. However, in the 2013 general election, he lost to DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah, which resulted in his succession by Mohamed Khaled Nordin as Menteri Besar.

Bangsa Malaysia

Abdul Ghani expressed opposition to the Bangsa Malaysia idea, describing it as an unclear concept that surpasses constitutional limits. He maintained that if this notion were to be adopted, it must acknowledge Malays as the central ethnic group within Malaysia. He associated supporters of Bangsa Malaysia with earlier demands for a Malaysian Malaysia advocated by Lee Kuan Yew during the 1960s—a proposal that was rejected by Malaysian authorities.

Following the 2006 UMNO Annual General Meeting, Abdul Ghani clarified his resistance stemmed from the concept promoting absolute equality that contradicts Malaysia’s inherited idea kenegaraan—the fundamental nationhood principle that unites Malays while granting other ethnic groups citizenship and shared prosperity.

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1986	P116 Ledang	Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional |	Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	21,558	66.43%	Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party |	Lee Tiong King (DAP)	10,893	33.57%	33,679	10,665	71.39%
1990		Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional |	Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	21,802	60.47%	Template:Party shading/S46 |	Othman Tambi (S46)	14,255	39.53%	37,569	7,547	73.13%
2013	P162 Gelang Patah	Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional |	Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	39,522	42.04%	Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party |	Lim Kit Siang (DAP)	54,284	57.74%	95,071	14,762	89.08%

Johor State Legislative Assembly

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1995	N04 Serom	Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional |	Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	16,789	80.15%	Template:Party shading/S46 |	Husni Md. Alip (S46)	3,293	15.72%	20,946	13,496	71.79%
1999		Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional |	Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO)	14,652	67.12%	Template:Party shading/PAS |	Abdullah Husin (PAS)	6,404	29.34%	21,830	8,248	71.75%

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
2004	N11 Serom	Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional		Abdul Ghani Othman ( UMNO)	11,276	75.99%	Template:Party shading/PAS		Abu Bakar Tambi ( PAS)	3,195	21.53%	14,838	8,081	73.08%
2008		Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional		Abdul Ghani Othman ( UMNO)	10,088	64.63%	Template:Party shading/PAS		Rusman Kemin ( PAS)	5,117	32.78%	15,609	4,971	75.85%

Honours and awards

Abdul Ghani received the Order of the Crown of Johor; Setia Mahkota Johor (SMJ) medal from the Sultan of Johor in 1989, followed by the Royal Family Order of Johor; Darjah Kerabat Johor Yang Amat Dihormati Pangkat Kedua (D.K. II) in 1996. In 2004, he was honored with the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ), which carries the title Dato'.

On 9 April 2009, Sultan Iskandar awarded Abdul Ghani the prestigious DK (I), the highest accolade in Johor, a distinction seldom granted outside the royal family.

Honours of Malaysia

• • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2014)
• • First Class of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK I) (2009)
  • Second Class of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK II) (1996)
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) – Dato' (2004)
  • Companion of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SMJ) (1989)
  • First Class of the Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS I) (2008)

External links

• Umno's Men-In-Waiting, 12 May 2000, Asiaweek