Raja Uda

Raja Uda bin Raja Muhammad (15 December 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.

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Raja Muhammad is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Uda. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Yang Berhormat Mulia Tun Dato' Seri Utama Sir Raja Uda Raja Muhammad SMN PPM DUPN KBE CMG
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 (1894-12-15)15 December 1894 Jugra, Kuala Langat, Selangor, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died	17 October 1976(1976-10-17) (aged 81) Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Resting place	Royal Mausoleum, Klang, Selangor
Political party	Independent; UMNO-aligned
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	Raja Muhammad bin Raja Usman bin Raja Umar bin Raja Busu Hassan ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Nala ibni Almarhum Sultan Salehuddin (father) Raja Embut Long binti Raja Barkat (mother)
Residence	Seri Mutiara
Profession	Politician

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

Biography

Raja Uda was a member of the House of Opu Daeng Chelak, being a distant cousin of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah and a direct descendant of the first Sultan of Selangor. He married both of Sultan Hisamuddin's sisters namely, Tengku Badariah binti Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah and Tengku Nor Saadah.^[1]

Educated at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Raja Uda joined the colonial government service in 1910 at the age of 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. 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 Section 13, Shah Alam, Selangor.
• The Weld Quay in George Town, Penang was renamed Pengkalan Raja Tun Uda.
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Raja Tun Uda (SMKRaTU) 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
• Jalan Raja Uda in Kuala Lumpur

Honours

Honour of Malaysia

• Malaya :
  • Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (SMN) – Tun (1958)^[3]
• Malaysia :
  • Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)
• Penang :
  • Grand Master and Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DUPN) – Dato' Seri Utama (1 August 1967–30 August 1967)^[4]

Foreign Honours

• United Kingdom :
  • Recipient of the King George VI Coronation Medal (1937)^[5]
  • Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1947)^[6]
  • Honorary Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) (1951)^[7]
  • Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) – Sir (1953)^[8]