Tun Abdullah Ayub, A National Administrator from Sitiawan

Tun Abdullah Ayub, do you recognize this name? Mention the name Tun Abdullah Ayub, and surely many of us, especially the younger generation, do not know who this figure is, despite his many contributions to our homeland.

Tun Abdullah Ayub was a national administrator who played a crucial role in realizing government policies while serving under three Prime Ministers of Malaysia: Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, and Tun Hussein Onn. He played a vital role in the administration during the founding of Malaysia, the confrontation era, the bloody racial riots of May 13, 1969, and the formation of the National Operations Council (Mageran). Not to be forgotten, he was also involved in the administration during the era of fulfilling the nation's development agenda. Furthermore, Tun Abdullah Ayub was among the administrators involved in the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which aimed to eradicate poverty among the people and restructure society towards national integration.

Ever heard of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Act? For the loyal readers of orangperak.com, it was Tun Abdullah Ayub who provided the brilliant suggestion for the government to amend the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Act so that the body could become more viable by making investments and owning assets. With the EPF, an employee's future is more secure as they have savings for retirement. This national administrator was born on January 3, 1926, in Pasir Panjang Laut, Sitiawan, Perak. He received his early education at the Pasir Panjang Laut Malay School and Anglo Chinese School, Sitiawan, and later continued his schooling at King Edward VII Secondary School located in Taiping, Perak. During the Japanese occupation, he became a Japanese language teacher in Bruas, Perak. After the Japanese surrender, Tun Abdullah continued his studies in history at Raffles College (which later became the University of Malaya) in Singapore.

Starting in 1954, Tun Abdullah joined the Malayan Administrative Service, now better known as the Diplomatic and Administrative Officer (PTD) service, in various ministries, but he served the longest under the Ministry of Finance until 1971. Then, from 1972-1974, he was appointed as the Director-General of Public Service. Starting in 1974, Abdullah held the position of Secretary-General of the Treasury and Chairman of the EPF until 1978. His excellence as an administrator reached its peak when Tun Abdullah was appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Government to lead the Public Service in this country on January 1, 1979. In the meantime, he was also appointed as the Chairman of the National Electricity Board (now TNB). As soon as he retired from the Public Service on January 3, 1981, Tun Abdullah was immediately appointed as the Chairman of the Public Service Tribunal.

Now, all his struggles, contributions, and ideas have been compiled into a special biography co-authored by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Visiting Scholar, Datin Seri Fatini Yaacob, and Tun Abdullah's own wife, Toh Puan Anna Abdul Ranee. Among the interesting revelations in the book is his involvement in left-wing parties to fight for the independence of Malaya from the British colonialists. To fight for Malaya's independence from the grip of colonialists, Tun Abdullah Ayub was actively involved in the Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) and the Malay Nationalist Party (PKMM) alongside Ahmad Boestamam and Ishak Muhammad (Pak Sako) until the parties were banned by the British. Also revealed in Tun Abdullah's biography is his attitude of prioritizing integrity and never taking advantage to gain wealth, especially while serving as the Secretary-General of the Treasury. What can be concluded is that this figure was a true nationalist; he served the country without expecting any reward, praise, or recognition. It never even crossed his mind to be remembered or honored.

Another commendable trait of his that should be emulated was his love for the Malay community at the time, who were mostly poor, which led him to approve special allocations for the state of Kelantan, which was governed by PAS. When asked by Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who was the Prime Minister at the time, he asserted that if the Federal Government did not help, the Kelantanese Malays would continue to be left behind in the nation's development. For the information of orangperak.com readers, there are actually many more interesting stories in the biography that are suitable for all levels of society to read regarding Tun Abdullah Ayub, a distinguished national administrator.