Ungku Abdul Aziz


Ungku Abdul Aziz bin Ungku Abdul Hamid was a Malaysian economist and university professor. He was the 3rd Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya from 1968 to 1988 and the 1st General Director of the Council on Language and Literature of Malaysia from 1956 until 1957. He was the first to be awarded the title of Royal Professor in 1978.

Early life, family and education

He was born into the Johor Royal Family. His father, Ungku Abdul Hamid Ungku Abdul Majid was a Malayan prince and military officer. He was a cousin of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas and Syed Hussein Alatas as well as Sultan Ibrahim of Johor on his father's side. His father was of Malay and Turkish descent, while his mother was English.
He graduated from the English college at Johore Bahru and the Malay school in Batu Pahat. He received Diploma in Arts from Raffles College, Singapore and Bachelor of Arts in economics at University of Malaya, Singapore in 1951. He then defended his doctoral dissertation in Waseda University in 1964.
His daughter, Zeti Akhtar Aziz, was the former governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, Malaysia's central bank.

Academic career

He worked in the state administration of Johore, in 1952–1961 as a lecturer at the University of Malaya, with a one-year break, when he headed the Council on Language and Literature of Malaysia.
In the years 1962–1965, he was a professor and dean of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Malaya, while in 1968–1988, he was promoted to vice-chancellor of this university. He was the first Malaysian to become the vice-chancellor of University of Malaya. On his initiative, the university created the Botanical Garden, the Museum of Asian Art, the cooperative bookstore.
He is the author of the economic justification of a number of industrial projects, more than 50 books and monographs on social and economic problems of Malaysia, consultant to UN specialized organizations.
On 17 June 1978, he was awarded the rank and title of Royal Professor by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. Prior to 2025, he was the only person in Malaysia to hold that rank, until Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas awarded in the same rank.

Honours and awards

Honours of Malaysia

Ungku Aziz died in Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur at 4:30 in the evening due to old age. He was 98 and was survived by his wife, Rahaiah Baheran and his only daughter, Zeti Akhtar Aziz. He was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.

Namesakes

Several places were named after him, including: