Born a prince in the Kedah Sultanate, Tunku studied law in St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and became a civil servant and district officer.

After retiring from politics in 1971, Tunku remained active in sports and religious affairs, serving as the president of the Asian Football Confederation from 1958 to 1977, and as the first secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation from 1970 to 1973.

He briefly returned to politics in the 1980s and opposed Mahathir Mohamad during the 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis, publicly endorsing Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Parti Melayu Semangat 46 in the 1990 general elections.

As soon as he took over the district, he gave orders for a survey to be made of the swamps which bordered the town, obtained an estimate for draining them, and applied to the State Secretariat for the necessary funds.

He wrote again to the State Secretariat, asking that funds be made available to drain the swamps and to rid Kuala Nerang of the main breeding place malaria carriers.

This enabled Violet to move to Kuala Nerang, but the Secretary to the Government showed his disapproval by transferring Tunku Abdul Rahman to the isolated post of District Officer at Langkawi.

Ever-resourceful, his way in winning co-operation from members of the public of all communities led to the construction of a jetty and later to the opening of several earth roads using money and material which he collected.

While in London, he sat once more for the Bar Examinations, as he planned to leave the Civil Service, and to enter private practice as soon as he had qualified as an advocate and solicitor.

He recognised the need to prepare for the evacuation of civilians in the event of an invasion and in 1941 he gave orders for the construction of six "Long Houses" made of round timber and with attap roofs on a low hill about two miles away from the town.

At about 9 o'clock on the night of the invasion, Syed Omar telephoned Tunku and told him that the Regent had decided to evacuate the 77-year-old Sultan to Penang, and thence to Singapore.

[5] On 17 December, the Sultan, the Regent, and his family and senior officers of the State Government set off for Alor Setar with a Japanese military escort.

Tunku was one of the most popular speakers in Alor Setar, Sungai Petani, and Kulim, but he was not invited to take part in any of the discussions convened by his half-brother, Sultan Badlishah.

When the Communist revolutionaries launched an armed rebellion from jungle bases during the Malayan Emergency, UMNO founder and president, Onn, felt the need for racial harmony and a non-communal political party.

Tunku had acquired a wealth of experience as a district officer in Kedah, which enables him to understand and sympathise with the problems of the rural population, who made up a large proportion of the UMNO membership.

MCA was brought into existence in 1949 by two men, Colonel H. S. Lee, the President of the Selangor Mining Association, and Tan Cheng Lock of Malacca.

On his way to meet the UMNO leaders in Kuala Lumpur, he saw a leading member of Independence of Malaya Party, or IMP, and asked for his opinion of the "Alliance".

Tunku followed up the Municipal elections by holding a 'Round Table Conference' on 3 February 1953, attended by leaders of the MCA and UMNO, in the Selangor Miner's Club, Kuala Lumpur.

The committee was set up after Templer obtained the concurrence of Malay Rulers who at first were quite reluctant to accept such proposals due to their deep-rooted fear of what might befall them if Independence were granted.

He and Tunku then left London the next day, leaving Abdul Razak to open a UMNO-MCA Merdeka Freedom Bureau through which publicity material in support of early independence could be distributed in England.

Tunku took Tan Cheng Lock and H.S Lee with him whenever possible and in particular when touring the northern Malay states, and emphasised the importance of unity among Malayans of all communities.

[6][page needed] The links between UMNO and MCA grew stronger and on Tunku's initiative, a National Council which became the supreme executive body of the Alliance was established.

[citation needed] Tunku brought the matter to the next UMNO Assembly and urged the members to adopt what he called "a policy of racial unselfishness".

[citation needed] On polling day, after casting his vote, he drove himself on a whirlwind tour to constituencies in Kedah and then set off to Kuala Lumpur accompanied by T.H Tan.

Tunku stopped at every main polling station en route and only arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 11 pm, making it possible for him to enter the town unrecognised.

When the subject of 'jus soli' (citizenship by right of birth) was mentioned, Tunku, as the inspired diplomat, managed to persuade the MCA leaders to agree to its omission from the official recommendations.

Tunku Abdul Rahman dominated the politics of the independent Malaya (which became Malaysia in 1963), and led the Alliance to landslide wins in the 1959, and 1964 general elections.

He subsequently resigned from UMNO's presidency in June 1971, amid severe opposition of the 'Young Turks' comprising party rebels such as Mahathir Mohamad and Musa Hitam.

[8] Being an avid sportsman, Tunku was a firm believer that sports can be a good catalyst in bringing about greater social unity among Malaysians of various races and religions.

After it won the 1974 Melbourne Cup, Think Big's owners, Malaysian businessman Dato Tan Chin Nam, and Australian property developer Rick O'Sullivan, invited Tunku to join them as a part-owner of the horse.

The well-educated, visionary Tunku stood in contrast to Mahathir's brand of ethnic nationalism, which promised to help Malays as part of the Ketuanan Melayu ideology.