Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah

Infobox_Officeholder
name = Tun Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah


imagesize =
birth_date = 1920
birth_place =
death_date = March 12, 2000 (aged 80)
death_place = Penang, Malaysia
occupation =
order=First Lady of Malaysia
term_start= August 31, 1957
term_end= September 22, 1970
predecessor = "None"
successor = Tun Rahah Tan Sri Noah
alma_mater =
religion= Islam
spouse = Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj
children = Sulaiman, Mariam, Sharifah Hanizah and Faridah
relations =

Tun Sharifah Rodziah binti Syed Alwi Barakbah was the third wife of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the founding father and first Prime Minister of Malaysia. She served as First Lady of Malaysia.

Born in 1920, Sharifah Rodziah is of Arab-Malay descent (See Arab Singaporean). She was actually the younger sister of Tunku's university mate in England, Syed Omar Barakbah.

Tunku and Sharifah Rodziah got married in 1939 when he returned to Kedah from England upon hearing news that war was about to erupt in Europe. She became Tunku's third wife after the death of Meriam Chong and his divorce from Violet Coulson. However, the marriage did not result in any offspring. Sharifah Rodziah became a loving stepmother to Tunku's children from his first marriage to Meriam Chong. They later adopted four children, Sulaiman, Mariam, Sharifah Hanizah (who was also his granddaughter) and Faridah.

Tunku Abdul Rahman's eldest daughter, Tunku Khadijah said in an interview to the The Star that Sharifah Rodziah “loved my father dearly to a fault. She did not want to share him with anyone else".

Sharifah Rodziah played an important role in rallying political support for her husband during Malaysia's tumultuous formative years. She later served as First Lady of Malaysia when he became Prime Minister.

She passed away due to pneumonia, in Penang, on March 12, 2000 at the age of 80 years old.

References

* [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/8/26/focus/18701428&sec=focus The nation came first for Tunku] , The Star, August 26, 2007.

* [http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0324/newsmakers.html Asiaweek.com] , March 24, 2000.

* "Putera Negara"; 1987, Firma Publishing, Aziz Zarina Ahmad.