Wan Mokhtar Wan Ahmad | |
|---|---|
| وان مختار وان أحمد | |
| 10th Menteri Besar of Terengganu | |
| In office 1 September 1974 – 2 December 1999 | |
| Monarchs | Ismail Nasiruddin (1974–1979) Mahmud (1979–1998) Mizan Zainal Abidin (1998–1999) |
| Preceded by | Nik Hassan Wan Abdul Rahman (UMNO) |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS) |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kemaman | |
| In office 25 April 1964 – 23 August 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Wan Yahya Wan Mohamed |
| Succeeded by | Wan Abdul Kadir Ismail |
| Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for Cukai | |
| In office 24 August 1974 – 29 November 1999 | |
| Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia | |
| In office 23 November 2000 – 1 June 2005 | |
| Monarch | Sirajuddin |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad (2000–03) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003–05) |
| Preceded by | Shapi Abu Samah |
| Succeeded by | Ismail Ibrahim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wan Mokhtar bin Wan Ahmad 21 March 1932 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Unfederated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 21 September 2020 (aged 88) Prince Court Medical Centre, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur |
| Resting place | Section 21 Muslim Cemetery, Shah Alam, Selangor |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) |
| Other political affiliations | Alliance Party Barisan Nasional (BN) |
| Spouse |
Aishahtun Mohd Fadlullah Suhaimi
(died 2018) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Al-Azhar University |
Wan Mokhtar bin Wan Ahmad (21 March 1932 – 21 September 2020) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 11th Menteri Besar of Terengganu. In office for 25 years, he was the longest-serving head of the Terengganu state government (1974 - 1999). He also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kemaman (1964 - 1974) and Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Cukai (1974 - 1999).[1]
Wan Mokhtar was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in the then-ruling Alliance and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He was an ally of the similarly longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. In 1987, he was elected the vice-president of UMNO, alongside Anwar Ibrahim, under Mahathir's running team.[2]
His political prominence in the state came to an end in the 1999 state election, when the then-opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government with a landslide victory. He also lost his Chukai state seat then.[3] He was then appointed as the Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2000 to 2005.[1]