Mohamed Rahmat

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat
Personal details
Born	(1938-01-04)4 January 1938 Pulai, Johor, Malaysia
Died	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nationality	Malaysian
Children	Nur Jazlan Mohamed
Occupation	Politician
Ethnicity	Malay

Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat (4 January 1938 – 1 January 2010) was a Malaysian politician, and former Information Minister of Malaysia (1978–1982, 1987–1999). He was famously known as Tok Mat, Mat Setia and Mat Mr Propaganda.

Life

Mohamed Rahmat was born on 4 January 1938 in Pulai near Johor Bahru, Johor.

Political career

He was a Pulai Member of Parliament from 1969 to 1999 as UMNO-Barisan Nasional.

Career as Minister of Informations

As the minister of information, Mohamed introduced the "Setia Bersama Rakyat" (Semarak) programme aimed at instilling in the people greater love for the country. He also introduced the patriotic song "Setia".

One instance where he displayed it was when he ordered rock singers to trim their long hair if they wanted to participate in programmes broadcast over Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

Among those who followed the directive were the rock groups Wings, with lead singer Awie, and Search, with lead singer Amy.

Death

Mohamed Rahmat died on 1 January 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, aged of 71. His body was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.

Legacy

Several places and honours were named after him, including:

• Kompleks Tan Sri Mohammad Rahmat in Tampoi, Johor.