# Abdul Ghafar Baba

Abdul Ghafar bin Baba (Jawi: عبدالغفار بن باب; 18 February 1925 – 23 April 2006) was a Malaysian politician who served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1986 to 1993.

## Life and career

He was born on 18 February 1925 in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, the son of impoverished villagers from Malacca state who emigrated as pastoral nomads, namely Baba Abdullah from Sungai Udang and his wife, Saodah Salleh from Bemban. Ghafar Baba became a teacher and later became a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) political party, which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition.
In 1943, he married Toh Puan Asmah Binti Alang (1927–2004) and they had twelve children, three of whom he outlived. In the early 1990s, he polygamously married his second wife, Toh Puan Heryati Abdul Rahim, with whom he had one child, and divorced in 2003.
In 1986, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Previously, Musa Hitam held the deputy premiership but resigned, citing irreconcilable differences with Mahathir. On 15 October 1993, during a UMNO election, he was challenged by Anwar Ibrahim. Ghafar Baba was defeated by Anwar and subsequently lost the deputy premiership.
He died on 23 April 2006, at Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur due to cardiopulmonary complications. He had been in critical condition for several months prior to his death. He was buried the same day in an official state funeral at Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

## Posts

* Teachers' Union secretary (1946–1948)
* Melaka UMNO Secretary (1951)
* Melaka UMNO Chairman (1957)
* Chief Minister of Malacca (1959–1967)
* UMNO Supreme Working Council member (1957)
* UMNO Information chief (1959)
* UMNO Vice President (1962–1987)
* Barisan Nasional Secretary-General
* Federal Territories Barisan Nasional liaison chief
* Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President (1986–1993)

## Election results

Malacca State Legislative Assembly :
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout |
| 1959 | N06 Tanjong Kling | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 3,247 | 86.54% | Mohd Nor Noordin (PMIP) | 505 | 13.46% | 3,798 | 2,742 | 79.99% |
| 1964 | N01 Tanjong Kling | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 3,834 | 79.46% | Manah Mohd (PRM) | 649 | 13.45% | 4,970 | 3,185 | 83.95% |
| 1964 | N01 Tanjong Kling | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 3,834 | 79.46% | Mohd Nor Noordin (PMIP) | 342 | 7.09% | 4,970 | 3,185 | 83.95% |
Parliament of Malaysia :
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout |
| 1969 | P087 Malacca Utara | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 15,692 | 63.86% | Ali Md. Salleh (PAS) | 8,881 | 36.14% | 26,088 | 6,811 | 78.49% |
| 1974 | P095 Alor Gajah | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 20,890 | 78.89% | Abdul Ghani Long (PEKEMAS) | 5,591 | 21.11% | 27,750 | 15,299 | 77.76% |
| 1978 | P096 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 18,599 | 60.40% | Abdul Karim Abu (DAP) | 6,532 | 21.21% | 31,672 | 12,067 | 79.00% |
| 1978 | P096 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 18,599 | 60.40% | Jaliluddin Abd Wahid (PAS) | 5,660 | 18.38% | 31,672 | 12,067 | 79.00% |
| 1982 | P096 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 27,542 | 81.07% | Salleh Ayob (PAS) | 6,432 | 18.93% | 35,657 | 21,110 | 76.54% |
| 1986 | P114 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 20,772 | 76.35% | Rahimin Bani (PAS) | 6,436 | 23.65% | 28,200 | 14,336 | 71.21% |
| 1990 | P114 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 22,826 | 72.46% | Aris Konil (S46) | 8,674 | 27.54% | 32,519 | 14,152 | 77.93% |
| 1995 | P124 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 25,693 | 78.19% | Ahmad Mohd Alim (PAS) | 4,856 | 14.78% | 34,181 | 20,837 | 75.80% |
| 1995 | P124 Jasin | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 25,693 | 78.19% | Aris Konil (S46) | 2,310 | 7.03% | 34,181 | 20,837 | 75.80% |
| 1999 | P122 Batu Berendam | Abdul Ghafar Baba (UMNO) | 37,656 | 55.36% | Khalid Jaafar (KeADILan) | 30,368 | 44.64% | 69,592 | 7,288 | 78.82% |

## Honours
### Honours of Malaysia

* Malaysia
** Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)
** Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (1995)
* Federal Territory (Malaysia)
** Grand Knight of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SUMW) – Datuk Seri Utama (2017–posthumously)

### Foreign honours

* Soviet Union
** Jubilee Medal of Moscow (1966)

### Places named after him

* Persiaran Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba, a major road at Peringgit, Malacca.
* Persimpangan Tun Abdul Ghafar, an intersections between Jalan Batu Berendam, Persiaran Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba and Lebuh Ayer Keroh at Peringgit, Malacca.
* The Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba Memorial, a memorial and museum in honour of his achievements located at Persiaran Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba in Peringgit, Malacca.
* MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba a MARA institution boarding school at Jasin, Malacca.
* SMK Ghafar Baba (formerly SMK Masjid Tanah), a secondary school at Masjid Tanah, Malacca.
* Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba Mosque, Sungai Udang, Malacca.
* Six FELDA settlements were renamed after him, they are FELDA Tun Ghafar Machap, FELDA Tun Ghafar Hutan Percha, FELDA Tun Ghafar Menggong, FELDA Tun Ghafar Kemendor, FELDA Tun Ghafar Air Kangkong and FELDA Tun Ghafar Bukit Senggeh.
* Kolej Tun Ghafar Baba, a residential college at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kuala Perlis, Perlis
* Kolej Tun Ghafar Baba, a residential college at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor