Getting to Know the Unique Perak National Party

Once upon a time, the Perak National Party existed and commanded public support. Today's generation likely does not know of the existence of a party that has been missing from our country's political landscape for decades. For our loyal readers at orangperak.com, we would like to share some interesting facts about the Perak National Party.

For our concerned readers at orangperak.com, the Perak National Party was a unique political entity because it was state-based, meaning it was limited only to the people of Perak. This is because the Perak National Party would only field candidates for seats within the state of Perak during elections.

Haji Abdul Wahab bin Toh Muda Abdul Aziz

Historically, the Perak National Party was founded by Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang, whose real name was Haji Abdul Wahab Bin Toh Muda Abdul Aziz. He served as the first Menteri Besar of Perak from 1948 to 1957. Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang Haji Abdul Wahab bin Toh Muda Abdul Aziz held the title of Orang Kaya-kaya Dato’ Panglima Bukit Gantang, one of the four major chiefs of Perak. He was said to be of noble Perak descent, belonging to the Four Chiefs of Perak, and was the first son of a Malay dignitary to pursue studies in England. Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang studied law in London. Uniquely, in the politics of our country at that time, individuals were not restricted from joining multiple political parties, meaning anyone could join two or more parties simultaneously. In 1953, Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang was appointed as the Chairman of UMNO Perak. However, at the same time, he sought to establish a political party unrelated to UMNO. During the crisis between Dato’ Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman, Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang sided with Dato’ Onn Jaafar by supporting the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP) that he founded.

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Due to actions that contradicted the UMNO constitution, Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang was expelled from UMNO after a vote of no confidence was passed by the majority of UMNO delegates across the state of Perak. Tunku Abdul Rahman, as the President of UMNO, also issued a stern warning to all UMNO branches in Perak not to support Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang. However, Datuk Panglima Bukit Gantang still received support from several UMNO branches in Perak. With this backing, he took the step of establishing a party to champion the plight of the people of Perak. Thus, the Perak National Party was formed, and it later announced its cooperation with the Independence of Malaya Party led by Dato’ Onn Jaafar.

Dato’ Onn Jaafar

After several years of existence, the Perak National Party was eventually forced to dissolve for various reasons. Most of its members returned to the UMNO struggle, and today, the party no longer exists in Malaysian politics, remaining only as a piece of history and a lasting memory.