Hamzah Abu Samah

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Abu Samah is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Hamzah. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri Hamzah Abu Samah PMN SPMS SSAP SIMP SPDK SMK
7th President of AFC
In office 9 December 1978 – 1 August 1994
Preceded by	Kambiz Atabay
Succeeded by	Ahmad Shah
Minister of Trade and Industry
In office 1974–1977
Monarchs	Abdul Halim Yahya Petra
Prime Minister	Abdul Razak Hussein Hussein Onn
Preceded by	Hussein Onn
Succeeded by	Mahathir Mohamad
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
In office 22 April 1971 – 1 May 1973
Monarch	Abdul Halim
Prime Minister	Abdul Razak Hussein
Preceded by	Senu Abdul Rahman
Succeeded by	Ali Ahmad
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Temerloh
In office 1974–1982
Preceded by	Mohamed Yusof Mahmud
Succeeded by	Sabbaruddin Chik
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Raub
In office 1967–1974
Preceded by	Hussein Hassan
Succeeded by	Abdullah Majid
Personal details
Born	(1924-01-05)5 January 1924 Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died	4 September 2012(2012-09-04) (aged 88) Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Resting place	Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Spouse	Zainon Hussein
Relations	Abdul Razak Hussein (brother-in-law)
Children	7
Education	Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Alma mater	Gray's Inn

Hamzah bin Abu Samah (5 January 1924 – 4 September 2012)^[1][2] was a Malaysian politician, lawyer and sports administrator who served as the president of Asian Football Confederation from 9 December 1978 to 1 August 1994.^[3] In 2006, he was conferred the FIFA Order of Merit for his contribution towards Asian football.^[4] He also one of the fourth Malaysian to join the exclusive club of AFC Diamond of Asia Award with Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak, Sultan Ahmad Shah and Sultan Abdullah.^[5][6]

Biography

Hamzah was educated at Malay College Kuala Kangsar. He went on to study law at Gray's Inn in England. He became a Member of Parliament representing Raub (1967–1974) and Temerloh (1974–1982) in Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia's parliament.

Additionally he was Minister of Sports and Youth from 22 April 1971 to 1 May 1973 in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. He was defence minister from 1973 to 1974 and Trade and Industry Minister from 1974 to 1977. In 1980, he stepped down after having a coronary bypass operation.^[7]

He was a member of IOC from 1978 to 2004 and was an honorary member until his death.^[8]

Hamzah died on 4 September 2012 in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan. He was 88 years old. His body was buried in Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1967	P059 Raub, Pahang		Hamzah Abu Samah (UMNO)	None	None	Unopposed
1969			Hamzah Abu Samah (UMNO)	None	None	Unopposed
1974	P072 Temerloh, Pahang		Hamzah Abu Samah (UMNO)	N/A	N/A		Kamarulzaman Teh (PRM)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
1978			Hamzah Abu Samah (UMNO)	18,753	70.30%		Ahmad Sulaiman (PAS)	7,922	29.70%	37,758	10,831

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

•  Malaysia :
  • Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (1983)^[9]
•  Selangor :
  • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SPMS) – Dato' Seri (1987)^[10]
•  Pahang :
  • Grand Knight of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – formerly Dato', now Dato' Indera
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (1977)^[11]
•  Sabah :
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1974)^[12]
•  Kedah :
  • Companion of the Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah (SMK) (1966)^[13]

References

1. "Tan Sri Hamzah Bin Datuk Abu Samah". National Archives of Malaysia. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
2. "Tan Sri Hamzah Bin Datuk Abu Samah". National Archives of Malaysia. Retrieved 2 October 2018. (in Malay)
3. MALAYSIAN LEADERS HAIL HAMZAH'S CONTRIBUTION. AFC at Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
4. "FIFA Order of Merit holders (in alphabetical order)". FIFA. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
5. Diamond of Asia: Tan Sri Hamzah. AFC at Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
6. HM Al-Sultan Abdullah awarded prestigious AFC Diamond of Asia. AFC at Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
7. "Hamzah Abu Samah buried at National Mosque grounds | the Malay Mail". Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
8. Tan Sri Hamzah ABU SAMAH | Malaysia | IOC Member since 1978
9. "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
10. "SPMS 1987". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
11. "彭苏丹庆四十七华诞 二百四七有功者 今受封各级勳衔" [Pahang Sultan celebrates his 47th birthday, and the 247 meritorious persons are now awarded honors at all levels]. 星洲日報. 24 October 1977. p. 6.
12. Hussein and Rahah get top Sabah awards. New Straits Times. 14 September 1974. p. 1.
13. "Anugerah Sultan Kedah". Berita Harian. 23 February 1966. p. 8.

External links

• The Malaysian Insider: Hamzah laid to rest at National Mosque

Civic offices
Preceded by Kambiz Atabay	President of Asian Football Confederation 1978–1994	Succeeded by Ahmad Shah of Pahang