Former Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of the Malaysian state of Melaka.
In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Yaakob is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Mohd Khalil. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Khalil is a member of UMNO and served on its supreme council from 1984.[3] He became party secretary-general in 1999 until his appointment as governor.[4]
Khalil won the Bukit Tajau state seat in the 1986 general elections, and became Menteri Besar of Pahang. He served for three terms, until 1999. In the 1999 general elections, he rejoined federal politics and was elected as Member of Parliament for Kuantan.[5] He was appointed Minister of Information but did not contest the next election, held in 2004.
In April 2001, a police report was lodged by Pahang state assemblyman Fauzi Abdul Rahman alleging that Mohd Khalil misappropriated state resources as Pahang Menteri Besar.[6]
During his term as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor), Khalil's main goal was to make Malacca a progress state in the year 2010 and then "Green Technology City State" in the year 2013. He was also made Malacca City as the UNESCO's World Heritage Site on 7 July 2008.
Mohd Khalil is fan of Indian actor M. G. Ramachandran and Tamil cinema in general. In August 2011, he re-enacted MGR's role in the film Vettaikaaran in a 45-minute performance at the State Culture and Art Auditorium.[8]
Legacy
The Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob Mosque at Tanjung Minyak is named after him.