He was 98.

Arguably the most well known Malaysian scholar, Ungku Aziz died at a hospital at 4.30pm. His body will be taken to the At-Taqwa Mosque where he is expected to be buried tonight, according to Astro Awani.

Ungku Aziz, who served as vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya from 1968 to 1988, was a household name among the educated. He was both a respected thinker and a prolific writer.

He received a royal professorship in 1978 and remains the only Malaysian to have been given the honour – the highest form of professorship in the country.

Among Ungku Aziz’s most significant achievements was the establishment of the Pilgrims’ Fund and Management Board (Tabung Haji) in 1969.

He also played an instrumental role in the establishment of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and the National Cooperative Organisation of Malaysia (Angkasa).

He started his career in academia in 1952 as an economics lecturer at University of Malaya and in 1968 was appointed vice-chancellor – the first Malaysian to hold that post. In fact, he went on to become the longest serving person to hold the post.

According to the Merdeka Award Trust, Ungku Aziz contributed enormously to the development of education and the co-operative movement in Malaysia.

He played a key role in attempting to address the root causes of rural poverty and in identifying methods to alleviate it. Ungku Aziz was also a founding member of the Malaysian Economic Association – a think tank dedicated to discussing Malaysian economic issues.

The economist was the father of former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.