Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi ( ms, أحمد زاهد بن حميدي, label=
Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 4 January 1953) is a
Malaysian politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...
who has served as the 11th and 14th
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
from July 2015 to May 2018 and again since December 2022 and
Minister of Rural and Regional Development in the
Pakatan Harapan
The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
(PH) administration under Prime Minister
Anwar Ibrahim since December 2022, 6th Chairman of the
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
(BN) coalition, 8th President of the
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...
(UMNO) since May 2018 and the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for
Bagan Datuk since April 1995. He served as the 14th
Leader of the Opposition from July 2018 to March 2019,
Minister of Home Affairs,
Minister of Defence and
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in the
BN administration under former Prime Ministers
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and
Najib Razak from March 2008 to May 2018.
Zahid became the President of the UMNO in 2018 following the party's crushing defeat at the
2018 election. Under his leadership, UMNO and BN won at the
2021 Malacca state election
The 2021 Malacca state election, formally the 15th Malacca state election, took place on 20 November 2021. This election was to elect 28 members of the 15th Malacca State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 4 October 2021 ...
and the
2022 Johor state election
The 2022 Johor state election, formally the 15th Johor general election, took place on 12 March 2022. The election was to elect 56 members of the 15th Johor State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 22 January 2022.
...
, but achieved the worst-ever result in Malaysian history at the
2022 federal election. He was appointed as
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
The deputy prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, تيمبلن ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the second-highest political office in Malaysia. There have been 1 ...
on 3 December 2022 making him the first person to be appointed to this position twice, under two different administrations.
Early life
Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi was born on 4 January 1953 in
Bagan Datuk,
Perak,
the eldest son of nine children (seven sons and two daughters) in the family. On 1 October 2011, his mother, Tuminah Abdul Jalil, died of a stroke and heart complication in her hometown Sungai Nipah Darat,
Bagan Datoh. She was previously hospitalized at the Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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, coordinates =
, sub ...
. Both of his parents are Indonesian-born Malaysians.
He was raised by a
Chinese foster-father, Chen Jin Ting and sold ice cream together for six years with his foster family when he was in elementary school. Chen was not highly educated and would cycle from his house at
Simpang Tiga
Simpang Tiga is a small township in Bagan Datuk District, Perak, Malaysia. This Township is formed by only a few rows of shop houses and a few hundred families, most of them farmers. This township is also the hometown for the Parliament Member ...
, Hilir Perak to about three kilometers away selling ice cream. Chen was married with his foster mother, Guo Jin Luan. His father later died in 1999, more than ten days after the general election of that year. Following accusations that he was anti-Chinese, he responded asking: "Am I anti-Chinese when I have a Chinese foster father?".
Education and early career
Before venturing into politics, Ahmad Zahid studied at
University of Malaya for his bachelor's degree. He also holds a Certificate in Banking from
Bank Negara Malaysia
The Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM; ms, Bank Negara Malaysia) is the Malaysian central bank. Established on 26 January 1959 as the Central Bank of Malaya (''Bank Negara Tanah Melayu''), its main purpose is to issue currency, act as banker and ad ...
before being a banker for
OCBC. He was also one of the directors of
Bank Simpanan Nasional
Bank Simpanan Nasional (English: National Savings Bank) (BSN) is a government owned bank based in Malaysia. BSN offers banking services via BSN branches and BSN Banking Agents (EB BSN). BSN was incorporated on 1 December 1974 under the Ministe ...
(1995–1998) and also
Permodalan Nasional Berhad
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) is one of the largest fund management companies in Malaysia. It was established on 17 March 1978 as one of the instruments of the government's New Economic Policy.
PNB's two notable projects is located in Kuala ...
(PNB). He was also a Marketing Executive for Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad, Executive Director for Scandinavian Motors Sdn Bhd, chief executive officer of Kretam Holding Berhad, Chairman of Tekala Corporation Berhad, Chairman of Seng Hup Berhad and Pengerusi Ramatex Berhad. In 1999 he became the Chairman of
Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB).
In 2008, he has received his PhD in Communication at
Universiti Putra Malaysia after he spent seven years to complete his thesis.
Political career
Political secretary and UMNO Youth Chief
In 1986, Zahid was appointed political secretary to
Najib Razak during the latter's term as Youth Minister (1986–1990) and then
Minister of Defence (1990–1995).
He was elected UMNO Youth Chief in 1996. He was once the chief of UMNO youth Bagan Datoh branch, the Vice Chief for the state of Perak UMNO youth, Head of the UMNO Communication for UMNO youth.
Election to Parliament and UMNO Supreme Council
In 1995, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi became a member of parliament after winning the Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat in Perak in the general elections.
In 1999, Zahid was re-elected Member of Parliament for
Bagan Datoh in Perak in the
general elections. He was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council in the following year.
Ministerial career
After he won the seat for a third time in the 2004 general elections, Zahid was appointed Deputy Tourism Minister by former Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. While being a
Deputy Minister, he pursued a Doctor of Philosophy degree from
UPM, thesis entitled ''Barisan Nasional Manifesto As Agenda for Malay Language Newspaper During the General Election Campaign''.
In the political tsunami of 2008, Zahid again retained his
Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat at a time when many
BN party heavyweights were trounced. He was then appointed a full Minister in the
Prime Minister's Department
A cabinet department or prime minister's department is a department or other government agency that directly supports the work of the government's central executive office, usually the cabinet and/or prime minister, rather than specific minister ...
. In the April 2009 cabinet reshuffle, Zahid was appointed
Minister of Defence by Prime Minister
Najib Razak.
He was able to retain his parliamentary seat of Bagan Datoh in the 2013 election, although with a decreased majority. He was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs in 2013, replacing
Hishamuddin Hussein, who took Zahid's previous position at the Ministry of Defence.
In July 2015, he was appointed the country's 11th
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
in a cabinet reshuffle.
UMNO President
In the
2018 UMNO leadership election, Zahid gained more votes than his rivals,
Khairy Jamaluddin
Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar ( Jawi: ; born 10 January 1976) is a Malaysian politician. He most recently served as Minister of Health in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from August 202 ...
and
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah ( Jawi: تڠکو غزالي بن تڠکو محمد حمزة; born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gua Musang from August 1986 to Novembe ...
, making him the new president of UMNO and also the first
Leader of the Opposition from BN coalition.
After facing weeks of mounting pressure to step down as party president and calls for fresh party polls, Zahid finally announces his decision to temporary step down and take leave on 18 December 2018. His deputy,
Mohamad Hasan, acted the position of leading the party. On 30 June 2019, he announced his return from "
garden leave" back to active role as UMNO president.
In the
2022 election, he led the party to achieve its worst result in Malaysian history, only retaining 26 out of 222 seats (BN won 30 seats).
Several key figures including
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah ( Jawi: تڠکو غزالي بن تڠکو محمد حمزة; born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gua Musang from August 1986 to Novembe ...
,
Mahdzir Khalid,
Azeez Rahim
Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Azeez bin Abdul Rahim ( Jawi: عبدالعزيز بن عبدالرحيم, ta, அப்துல் அஸீஸ் பின் அப்துல் ரஹீம், Aptul asīs piṉ aptul rahīm; born 19 Novemb ...
,
Tengku Zafrul Aziz
Tengku Zafrul bin Tengku Abdul Aziz ( Jawi: ; born 25 June 1973) is a Malaysian politician and investor who has served as Minister of International Trade and Industry in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibra ...
and
Khairy Jamaluddin
Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar ( Jawi: ; born 10 January 1976) is a Malaysian politician. He most recently served as Minister of Health in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from August 202 ...
, lost to either PN or PH candidates.
UMNO/BN was also defeated at several state elections held in
Pahang and
Perak, and lost all seats in
Perlis. Zahid himself was re-elected with a slim majority. Following the election defeat, he faced internal pressures to resign as the UMNO President.
Controversies and issues
Legal suits
Ahmad Zahid had been sued by businessman Amir Bazli Abdullah for allegedly punching him in the face on 16 January 2006 at the Country Heights recreational club in Kajang, Selangor, causing the latter to suffer a nasal bone fracture and a swollen left eye. The case was pursued in the civil courts for six years before the matter was settled out of court.
Controversial statements
Shortly after the Black 505 rallies following the
13th Malaysian General Election due to claims of electoral fraud and vote manipulation, he said that Malaysians who are unhappy with the country's political system and dislike the
BN government should "get lost" from the country. This statement has raised discontentment among the citizens, putting a serious question mark over his political future in a multiracial society. The statement was made after a series of street demonstrations led by opposition parties that has refused to accept the
results of the 13th Malaysian General election. His first act as Home Minister was to order a crack down against opposition leaders and dissent, landing him in a bigger controversy with sedition laws being used to attempt to suppress the voices of opposition parties.
During a speech in Malacca, Zahid was recorded endorsing the police policy of "
shoot to kill" when arresting dangerous criminals, including backing a certain group of gangsters.
Corruption charges
On 18 October 2018, Zahid was arrested by the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ( ms, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia), abbreviated MACC or ''SPRM'', (formerly known as Anti-Corruption Agency, ACA or ''Badan Pencegah Rasuah'', ''BPR'') is a government agency in Malaysia that ...
(MACC) and charged in court the following day on 45 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT), abuse of power and money laundering involving a total of RM114 million (about US$27.4 million) funds of Yayasan Akalbudi. On 14 December 2018, he was charged with another CBT offence, involving RM10 million. On 20 February 2019, Zahid was again charged with an additional CBT charge, involving RM260,000.
On 26 June 2019, Zahid became the subject of 7 new corruption charges involving S$4.2 million (RM12.8 million) which he allegedly received from a foreign visa (VLN) system operator totalling RM42.76 million under his capacity as the Home Minister then. On the next day, he faced 33 more charges totalling RM42.76 million involving the VLN system two years before. The latest charges brought the total number of outstanding charges to 87.
On 24 January 2022, Zahid has been ordered to enter his defence against all 47 criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering charges involving funds.
On 17 February 2022, former prime minister
Muhyiddin Yassin has divulged more details regarding his claims that Ahmad Zahid sought his intervention in court cases. Muhyiddin said Zahid visited a few days after he took office as prime minister with a pile of files. He said he refused to interfere in Zahid and
Najib Razak's court cases, which incited their anger and resulted in attempts to destabilise the government.
On 23 February 2022,
Mahathir Mohamad said he had a meeting with Zahid before the former became prime minister in 2018. Mahathir said Zahid went to his house with three other individuals and tried to be nice to him to avoid being charged for his misconduct when Umno was in power.
Acquittal
On 23 September 2022, Zahid was acquitted by the Malaysian High Court of 40 bribery charges linked to a visa scheme, and seven charges for allegedly receiving bribes when he was home minister from 2013 to 2018.
Personal life
He is married to
Hamidah Khamis and has 5 children. He is fluent in
Standard Malay, local
Perak Malay and
Javanese. He speaks English, but not fluently, and also speaks some
Mandarin.
Election results
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
* :
**
Knight Commander of the
Order of the Crown of Kelantan (DPMK) – Dato'
(2005)
**
Knight Grand Commander of the
Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (SJMK) – Dato'
(2009)
* :
**
Companion Class I of the
Exalted Order of Malacca (DMSM) – Datuk (1993)
**
Knight Grand Commander of the
Exalted Order of Malacca (DUNM) – Datuk Seri Utama (2015)
* :
**
Grand Knight of the
Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato’ Sri (2008)
* :
**
Member of the
Order of the Perak State Crown
The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown ( Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak.
Background
It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 December 1957.
...
(AMP) (1992)
**
Knight Commander of the
Order of the Perak State Crown
The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown ( Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak.
Background
It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 December 1957.
...
(DPMP) – Dato'
(2001)
**
Knight Grand Commander of the
Order of the Perak State Crown
The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown ( Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak.
Background
It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 December 1957.
...
(SPMP) – Dato' Seri (2008)
**
Ordinary Class of the
Perak Family Order of Sultan Nazrin Shah (SPSN) – Dato' Seri Diraja (2015)
* :
**
Grand Commander of the
Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (2011)
* :
**
Knight Commander of the
Order of the Star of Sarawak
The Most Excellent Order of the Star of Sarawak(lit: 'Darjah Yang Amat Gemilang Bintang Sarawak') was established by Charles Vyner Brooke, The Rajah of Sarawak, on 26 September 1928 as the highest order of chivalry within the Raj of Sarawak.Sa ...
(PNBS) – Dato' Sri (2013)
** Knight Grand Commander of the
Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DP) – Datuk Patinggi (2016)
See also
*
Bagan Datok (federal constituency)
*
References
External links
*
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Zahid Hamidi
1953 births
Living people
People from Perak
Malaysian people of Javanese descent
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian Muslims
United Malays National Organisation politicians
Presidents of United Malays National Organisation
Members of the Dewan Rakyat
Members of the Dewan Negara
Deputy Prime Ministers of Malaysia
Malaysian Leaders of the Opposition
Government ministers of Malaysia
University of Putra Malaysia alumni
Grand Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu
Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak
Knights Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak
21st-century Malaysian politicians