Mohamed Rahmat

Tan Sri Mohamed " Tok Mat " Rahmat ( born January 4, 1938 † 1 January 2010, Bukit Damansara, Malaysia ) was a Malaysian politician and diplomat.

Biography

Rahmat, who was nationally known as " Tok Mat ," was appointed in 1978 by Prime Minister Hussein Onn as information minister in his cabinet, and held that office after 1981, also under his successor, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad until 1982. Subsequently, he was part of a reshuffle Ambassador in Indonesia with the rank of minister and remained in that post until 1984.

In 1987, he Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad again to the minister of information. He was a member of the Cabinet until 1999, and had in that capacity large influences on the national radio and television broadcasting in the country. Rahmat was not only the initiator of the Setia Bersama Rakyat ( Semarak ) program, which promoted a strengthening of national consciousness, but also known for it by Malaysian rock musicians such as Awie of the group "Wings" or Amy of the group " Search" a haircut asked if they wanted to occur in programs of state television and radio station Radio Televisyen Malaysia ( RTM).

Between 1988 and 1996 he was also Secretary General of the United Malays National Organisation ( UMNO ), the country's largest party, and at the same time from 1988 to 1999 Secretary General of the Barisan Nasional coalition multi-party (BN ), and thus one of the most influential political figures of those years.

Rahmat, who was more than ten years on dialysis because of kidney disease, died, according to his son and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Pulai, Datuk Only Jazlan, three days before his 72nd birthday in his sleep.