Malaysian politician (1922–2000)
Yusof bin Abdullah (Jawi: ; 8 May 1922 – 27 April 2000) was a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP), 1st Spiritual Leader and 5th President of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) from 1987 to 1995 and from 1982 to 1989 respectively. His legal name was Yusof Abdullah. He was the father of Mujahid Yusof Rawa, the Senator and Deputy President of the National Trust Party (AMANAH).
Early career.
Yusof joined PAS in 1951, and notably unseated future Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from the seat of Kota Setar Selatan in the 1969 election. Yusof was appointed as a Deputy Minister while PAS was a member of the governing Barisan Nasional coalition in the 1970s, and also served as Malaysia's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran. He also served as Malaysian delegate to the United Nations.
President of PAS.
Yusof became the President of PAS in 1982, winning the post uncontested after a leadership crisis in the party. His election was seen as a victory for the "ulama" faction of the party as his predecessor, Asri Muda, was considered not an "alim". Asri's leadership was notable for the shifting of PAS's outlook towards Malay nationalism. Both joining the Barisan Nasional coalition and moving away from religious-based policy platforms caused the party to lose support.
Yusof subsequently attempted to increase the influence of the "ulama" within PAS, surrounding himself with "ulama" leaders such as Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Abdul Hadi Awang. The direction of his leadership of the party was seen as firmly Islamist: under his presidency, the party adopted an Islamic State as official policy, and proposed to limit the powers of Parliament to be subject to the oversight of an "Ulama Assembly". At the same time, he steered the party away from Malay nationalism and introduced significant changes to the party's internal structure. One change was to introduce the position of "Spiritual Leader", of which he was the first occupant. His leadership style has been described as "fiery and outspoken". He resigned in 1989 citing health reasons, and was replaced by his deputy Fadzil Noor, who set the party on a more moderate path.
Personal life.
Yusof died in Penang on 28 April 2000. His son, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, became a member of parliament in 2008 and a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Religious Affairs in 2018.
References.
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