TUN DR. ISMAIL DALAM POLITIK AWAL MALAYSIA, 1956-1973

Abstract

The ministerial career of Tun Dr. Ismail’s was rarely discussed by previous researchers. He was mainly remembered as a former Home Minister and the second Deputy Prime Minister. In order to address this gap in scholarship on this topic, this article seeks to provide an analysis of the ministerial portfolios he held since 1956 until his death in 1973. The discussion in this article focus on the aspects Dr. Ismail considered as top priority during his time as minister. The article argues that since Dr. Ismail held the Commerce and Industry, until his tenure as Deputy Prime Minister, he gave top priority to the economic and security aspects. Both aspects were seen as co-dependent, and considered as a benchmark in measuring the level of security and stability of a nation. Therefore, Dr. Ismail is seen as a successful leader in building the basis of national security and ensuring the continuing independence of the country to this day.