Kamal bin Mat Salih (1946 – 6 March 2025) was a Malaysian economist, physician, policy advisor, academic administrator and politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Wangsa Maju Wangsa Maju is a township and a constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This area is surrounded by Setapak, Taman Melati and Gombak district in Selangor. Wangsa Maju is one of the major suburbs in Kuala Lumpur. History Wangsa Maju is a t ...

from April 1995 to November 1999. He was a member of the

United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation (Abbreviation, abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a Conservatism, conservative, Nationalism, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its ince ...

(UMNO), a component party of the

Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional (BN; ) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1974 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in ...

(BN) coalition. He earned B.A. (Hons) from

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

and a PhD from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1973. He was a professor, dean and deputy vice-chancellor at the

University of Science, Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'University of Science Malaysia'; abbreviation, abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is the oldest institute of hi ...

between 1973 and 1985. From 1986 to 1994, he was executive director of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research. He also served as a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Panel in 1981–1986, advising Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

. He was also a member of the Malaysian Business Council 1991–1996 and was rapporteur-general of the first National Economic Consultative Council 1989–1991. He co-founded the

International Medical University The IMU University, (formerly known as the International Medical University) is a private, English language, health sciences university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The university offers programmes in medical and other health sciences as well as ...

(IMU) in 1993 and served as its first president until 2001 and as executive chairman until 2003. After leaving IMU, he served as economic advisor to the National Implementation Task Force, a high-level group of experts established by the government of

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi (, ; 26 November 1939 – 14 April 2025), also known as Pak Lah, was a Malaysian politician and civil servant who served as the fifth prime minister of Malaysia from 2003 to 2009. A member of UMNO, he was the party's ...

. He is now professor of economics and development studies at the

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

Election results

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

(PSM) – Tan Sri (2008) ** Companion of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(JMN) (1984) ** Officer of the

(KMN) (1980) * : ** MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Officer - DSPN

Officer of the

Order of the Defender of State The Order of the Defender of State () is the sole order of chivalry of the state of Penang which was constituted in 1967 by then Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dato' Seri Utama Raja Uda Raja Muhammad to recognize eminent contributions of individuals t ...

(DSPN) – Dato' (1986)

Academic awards

* D.Litt (Hon), Dundee * D.Laws, honoris causa, Dalhousie * D.Science (Hon), Thomas Jefferson * D.Science (Hon), Strathclyde

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salih, Kamal Living people Malaysian economists Academic staff of the International Medical University Academic staff of the University of Malaya 1946 births Officers of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia