Syed Zahiruddin

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

Tun Syed Zahiruddin bin Syed Hassan (11 October 1918 – 20 April 2013)^[1] He was the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca from 1976 to 1984. Before his appointment he was a retired senior government administrative & diplomatic (PTD) officer. The position he held prior to retirement from PTD was Malaysia's Ambassador and High Commissioner to both Ireland in 1975 and the United Kingdom in 1974.^[2] He was also the holder of the State of Perak's Royal Chieftain position of Orang Kaya Dato' Bendahara Sri Maharaja, Orang Besar Empat Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan. SMK Tun Syed Zahiruddin was also named after him.

Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT) Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Syed Zahiruddin Syed Hassan SMN PSM SPSA DUNM DSA SPCM SPMP DPMP JMN PJK
4th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca
In office 23 May 1976 – 30 November 1984
Preceded by	Abdul Aziz Abdul Majid
Succeeded by	Syed Ahmad Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin
Personal details
Born	Syed Zahiruddin bin Syed Hassan (1918-10-11)11 October 1918 Pondok Tanjung, Kerian, Perak, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died	20 April 2013(2013-04-20) (aged 94) Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Resting place	Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur
Spouse	Toh Puan Halimah Md. Noh
Children	10
Parents	Syed Hassan Syed Ibrahim (father) Raja Halimah Raja Abdullah (mother)

Death

Zahiruddin died on 20 April 2013 of a kidney failure, aged 95 and was buried at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur.^[3]

Awards and recognitions

Honours of Malaysia

•  Malaysia :
  • Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (SMN) – Tun (1976)^[4]
  • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (1968)
  • Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (JMN) (1965)
  • Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Silver) (PPM) (1965)
•  Perak :
  • Ordinary Class of the Perak Family Order of Sultan Azlan Shah (SPSA) – Dato' Seri Diraja (2005)^[5]
  • Grand Knight of the Azlanii Royal Family Order (DSA) – Dato' Seri (2009)^[6]
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (SPCM) – Dato' Seri (1987)^[7]
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (1971)
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) – Dato' (1964)

Places named after him

Several places were named after him, including:

• Tun Syed Zahiruddin Residential College, a residential college at University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
• SMK Tun Syed Zahiruddin, a secondary school in Merlimau, Malacca