Preceded by Abu Zahar Ithnin Succeeded by Idris Haron Role Politician | Name Mohd Rustam Religion Sunni Islam | |
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Born 24 August 1949 (age 74)
Malacca, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) ( 1949-08-24 ) Political party United Malays National Organisation Alma mater Universiti Sains Malaysia Party United Malays National Organisation Similar People Idris Haron, Mohd Khalil Yaakob, Khairy Jamaluddin, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Mahathir Mohamad | ||
Education Universiti Sains Malaysia | ||
I did not steal money from the poor, says Ali Rustam
Tan Sri Haji Mohd Ali bin Mohd Rustam (born 24 August 1949) is a Malaysian politician. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and was the ninth Chief Minister of the state of Malacca.
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Biography
He was born in Kampung Bukit Katil Melaka, Melaka on 24 August 1949. Got his first education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Katil and Sekolah Kebangsaan Semabok. He continued his secondary education at Melaka High School. He got his tertiary education with Bachelor of Degree of Social Science at USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia).
Mohd Ali joined UMNO in 1968 and has been an elected representative since 1986. He became Chief Minister of Malacca in December 1999. He also served as a vice-president of UMNO from 2004 to 2009.
In the 2009 UMNO elections, he ran for deputy president but was disqualified after being found guilty of money politics.
Mohd Ali Rustam is also the president of the Malaysian Karate Federation (Makaf).
Controversies
In 2010, he approved an animal testing lab in Malacca. His defence of animal testing generated international attention, and was criticised by the Malaysian chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
On 30 September 2012, Rustam's eldest son Ridhwan Ali celebrated his marriage in front of 130,000 guests in a sports centre. The event lasted eight hours and the food allegedly cost $200,000, causing opposition politicians to question how Rustam could have afforded it on his government salary. Rustam denied allegations of corruption, saying it was his "own family arrangement and has nothing to do with the state government." Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul, from the country's anti-corruption commission, announced that an investigation had been instigated: "We are going item by item, to see how much money was spent and who paid for it".