Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz

Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz ( Jawi: محمد نظري بن عبدالعزيز; born 15 May 1954) is a Malaysian politician and barrister who most recently served as Malaysian Ambassador to the United States from February 2023 to February 2025.

He was also the Minister of Tourism and Culture from May 2013 to May 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs from March 2004 to May 2013, Minister of Entrepreneur Development from December 1999 to March 2004, Deputy Minister of Finance I from November 1996 to December 1999, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department from May 1995 to November 1996 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Padang Rengas from March 2004 to November 2022.

Early life and education

Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz was born in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia. He is the alumnus of Malay College Kuala Kangsar. He has an educational background in law and is qualified as a barrister of Lincoln's Inn.

Political career

Nazri was described as the hatchetman for then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by Mahathir Mohamad.

In 2009, a photo of a woman and a man, alleged to be Nazri, in a compromising position was posted on a blog. Nazri refused to comment when contacted by the media but politicians close to him denied that it was Nazri in the photo.

In 2010, he came out openly in the defence of Prime Minister Najib's 1Malaysia policy, saying that he is a "Malaysian first and a Malay next". This was an inverse of then deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin's statement that he was Malay first and Malaysian second.

In 2016, he was criticised for his decision of threatening to stop tourism funding from his ministry to Sabah and Sarawak if both the states did not implement a proposed tourism service tax fee of between RM5 and RM30 on each hotel room booking.

Following criticism over his tourism tax fee plan by Sarawak State Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Nazri responded by referring to the Karim as a “greenhorn” and “behaving like a gangster”. His response received backlash from other government-allied parties. As a result of his comment, the Sarawak state government made a decision to withdraw their participation from Tourism Malaysia.

Nazri has called for the seasonal flooding in Kelantan to be turned into tourist attractions on two occasions, eliciting backlash.

In 2019, Nazri questioned the appointment of non-Muslims to the posts of Attorney General, Chief Justice and Finance Minister during a campaign speech, describing it as a threat to the position of Malays in the country. He also warned non-Bumiputeras not to question the special rights afforded to the Malay population, using vernacular schools as an example of special rights given to non-Malays. He further stated that if non-Malays wanted to abolish the special rights afforded to the Malay population, vernacular schools would need to be closed to make it fair. When questioned about his statement on closing vernacular schools by media, he claimed to have been taken out of context.

In January 2021 during the 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis, Nazri publicly announced that he was withdrawing his support as a member of parliament for the then-ruling Perikatan Nasional government of Muhyiddin Yassin, which the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) participated in through Barisan Nasional as a junior partner. He also stated that a majority of Barisan Nasional MPs did not want the coalition's chairman, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as their spokesman. Amid reports that UMNO MPs were being summoned to withdraw their support for the government by August the same year, Nazri reversed his earlier decision and announced that he was in support of the incumbent administration, citing the party's general assembly's resolution to do so until the next election.

Personal life

He is married and has a daughter and three sons named Ferasha Mohamed Nazri, Mohamed Ferhad Mohamed Nazri and Mohamed Nedim Mohamed Nazri. Then, he married Haflin Saiful and has a son named Jean Pierre Azize Mohamed Nazri.

In January 2021, Nazri was tested positive for COVID-19 and warded at the Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab in Kota Baru.

Election results

Honours

* :
** Companion Class I of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DMSM) – Datuk (1993)
* :
** Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (2000)
* :
** Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2008)
* :
** Knight Commander of the Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (DJMK) – Dato' (2011)

References

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Living people
1954 births
People from Kuala Kangsar
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian Muslims
20th-century Malaysian lawyers
United Malays National Organisation politicians
Members of the Dewan Negara
Government ministers of Malaysia
Ambassadors of Malaysia to the United States
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Malaysian MPs 1995–1999
Malaysian MPs 1999–2004
Malaysian MPs 2004–2008
Malaysian MPs 2008–2013
Malaysian MPs 2013–2018
Malaysian MPs 2018–2022