Hanafiah bin Mat is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the

Terengganu State Executive Council The Terengganu State Executive Council is the executive authority of the Government of Terengganu, Malaysia. The Council comprises the List of Menteris Besar of Terengganu, Menteri Besar, appointed by the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan on the basi ...

(EXCO) in the

Gagasan Sejahtera The Gagasan Sejahtera (English: ''Ideas of Prosperity'', abbrev: GS) was a coalition of opposition Islamist political parties which promote the "ideas of peace" in Malaysia. The informal electoral pact was formed initially on 16 March 2016 by ...

(GS) and

Perikatan Nasional Perikatan Nasional (PN; ) is a Malaysian Parliamentary group, political coalition consisting of Right-wing politics, right-wing and Far-right politics, far-right political parties. It is the second largest political coalition in Dewan Rakyat w ...

(PN) state administration under Menteri Besar

Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: أحمد سمسوري بن مختار; born 16 November 1970), better known as Dr. Sam, is a Malaysian politician, Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer and lecturer who has served as the 15th ...

since May 2018 and Member of the

Terengganu State Legislative Assembly The Terengganu State Legislative Assembly () is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Terengganu. It consists of 32 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state. Elections are held no more than five ...

(MLA) for Cukai since May 2013. He is a member and Division Deputy Chief of

Kemaman Kemaman (Terengganu Malay: ''Kemamang'' or ''Mamang'') is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. Kemaman District is bordered by Dungun District to the north and the state of Pahang to the south and west. It is the southern gateway to the state of Te ...

of the

Malaysian Islamic Party The Malaysian Islamic Party, also known as the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Malay language, Malay: ''Parti Islam Se-Malaysia''; Abbreviation, abbrev: PAS), is an Islamist political party in Malaysia. Ideologically focused on Islamic fundamen ...

(PAS), a component party of the PN and formerly GS as well as

Pakatan Rakyat Pakatan Rakyat (PR; ) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Par ...

(PR) coalitions. His alleged insult at the 'Menu Rahmah' initiative and call to abandon the targeted diesel subsidy policy were controversial and widely criticised by

Malaysians Malaysians (Malay language, Malay: ''Orang Malaysia'') are citizens who are identified with the country of Malaysia. Although citizens make up the majority of Malaysians, non-citizen residents may also claim a Malaysian identity. The countr ...

Controversies and issues

Alleged insult at Menu Rahmah

Call to abandon targeted diesel subsidy

On 28 May 2024, Hanafiah called on the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Anwar Ibrahim Anwar bin Ibrahim (; born 10 August 1947), also known by his abbreviation as DSAI and PMX, is a Malaysian politician who is the 10th prime minister of Malaysia since 2022. A member of the People's Justice Party (Malaysia), People's Justice P ...

to abandon the policy of targeted diesel subsidy that was set to be implemented. He argued in a video posted on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

that the policy would increase the burden and costs of fishing for him and other fishing enthusiasts, negatively affecting their recreational activity. He further explained that they participate in fishing to unwind and relax after working hard, rather than to earn a living. His call was widely criticised by the

netizens The term ''netizen'' is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

who pointed out that subsidies are meant to provide assistance and relief to the groups and fishermen in need, not to support recreational fishing. They argued that subsidising his hobby would be a waste of resources, benefiting wealthy people, foreigners and smugglers instead of those truly in need.

Election results

Honours

* : **

MY-TER Order of the Crown of Terengganu - Dato Paduka - DPMT

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Terengganu The Most Distinguished Order of the Crown of Terengganu (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Terengganu Yang Amat Mulia'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Terengganu. History It was founded by Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengg ...

(DPMT) – Dato' (2025) ** MY-TER_Order_of_Sultan_Mizan_Zainal_Abidin_-_DSMZ_2001_-_SMZ_-_AMZ

Companion of the

Order of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu The Most Select Order of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu ( Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Terengganu Yang Amat Terpilih'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Terengganu History It was founded by Sul ...

(SMZ) (2022)

References

Notes

Malaysian Islamic Party politicians Members of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly Terengganu state executive councillors 21st-century Malaysian politicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Malaysian politicians of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Terengganu {{Malaysia-politician-stub