Tun Mohamed Zahir bin Haji Ismail (March 19, 1924 – October 14, 2004) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician. He was the longest-serving Speaker

Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, organising debates, and examining the admissibility of petitions, bills and amendments.In the absence of the...

 of the Dewan Rakyat

Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...

, the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament

Parliament of Malaysia

The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....

.

Early life and education

Mohamed Zahir was born in Alor Setar, Kedah

Kedah

Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...

. He attended Sekolah Kebangsaan Hosba in Jitra

Jitra

Jitra is a town in Kedah, Malaysia. It is located in the Kubang Pasu district.It is the fourth largest town in Kedah after Alor Setar, Sungai Petani and Kulim....

 and later Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid, Alor Setar. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...

 from Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

 in 1955.

Career

Mohamed Zahir began practicing as a lawyer from 1956. After the independence of Malaya

Federation of Malaya

The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...

, he served on the Kedah State EXCO from 1959 to 1963, and briefly as Menteri Besar

Menteri Besar

The Menteri Besar is the chief executive of the state government for states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For states without a monarch, the title Chief Minister is used...

 in 1963. He was appointed to the Dewan Negara

Dewan Negara

The Dewan Negara is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The Dewan Negara consists of 70 members, of which 26 are indirectly elected by the states, with two senators for every state in the Federation, and the other 44 being appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong .The Dewan Negara...

 (the upper house) in August 1963, and completed two terms (of three years each) as a Senator.

He was actively involved in the formation of the Malaysia, serving as a diplomat to the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 and as the Malayan representative to the Cobbold Commission

Cobbold Commission

The Cobbold Commission, was a Commission of Enquiry set up to determine whether the people of North Borneo and Sarawak supported the proposal to create the Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak. It was also responsible for the subsequent drafting of the Constitution...

. In 1975, he was appointed to the Kota Bharu High Court as a judge.

Now a respected figure in Malaysian politics, he was elected Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, organising debates, and examining the admissibility of petitions, bills and amendments.In the absence of the...

 following the 1982 general elections

Malaysian general election, 1982

General elections were held in Malaysia on 22 April 1982. The result was a victory for Barisan Nasional, which won 132 of the 145 seats. Voter turnout was 74.4%.-Results:...

, a post he held for 24 years. During his tenure, he also became President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights...

, Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum

Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum

The Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum is a group of parliamentary officials from the Asia-Pacific region who wish to discuss matters that affect their region with their government counterparts around the world. The group was founded in 1993. It is a branch of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation...

 and the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly.

Death

In October 2004, Mohamed Zahir died in office due to acute renal failure in Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Others

• Dalam lembut Tun Mohamed tetap tegas MyKMU Net (from Berita Harian) Accessed June 7, 2010.