We are deeply saddened to hear of the demise of Royal Professor. Ungku A. Aziz, the founding President of The Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (ANGKASA). Royal Professor Aziz was a towering intellect who stressed on cooperative values and principles, ensured cooperative education was made integral in the school curriculum and promoted gender in all its dimensions. He was a key figure in guiding the Asia and Pacific region when he served on the ICA-AP Regional Board.
Royal Professor Ungku A. Aziz served as the President of ANGKASA since its inception in 1971 until 2008. While with the International Cooperative Alliance, he served as Vice Chairman, member of the ICA-AP Regional Board (then the ICA Regional Office of Asia Pacific (ICA ROAP) Standing Committee) and member of the Human Resource Development Committee of ICA & ICA-AP.
Royal Professor Aziz spent his life working in the fields of education, rural development, and poverty eradication. He pioneered the School Cooperative movement in Malaysia and strongly believed that the cooperative values and principles will produce good future leaders. He was an advocate for the development of women in cooperatives and developed ANGKASA’s gender strategy. He was instrumental in establishing courses in Cooperative law for the Faculty of Economics, University of Malaya. Though his academic interests were wide, he was a pioneer in studying the economics of poverty in Malaysia. He also served as member and consultant at various international and UN organizations such as FAO, ILO, UNESCO, and the UN University Council.
Born into the royal family of Johor, Prof Ungku Aziz had an illustrious career as an academician. He authored more than 50 books and monographs on social and economic problems in Malaysia. He was the first Malaysian to become the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya. In 1978, he was awarded the title of Royal Professor. He received the Rochdale Pioneers Award in 2007, the Ordre des Arts et Des Lettres by the Government of France and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure First Class by the Emperor of Japan.
His passing is a huge loss not only to the cooperative movement in Malaysia but the world of cooperatives. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, ANGKASA and the cooperative community in Malaysia.
