Hamzah Zainudin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| حمزة زين الدين | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Hamzah in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17thLeader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 10 December 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarchs | Abdullah (2022–2024) Ibrahim Iskandar (since 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Hamzah bin Zainudin (1957-03-12)12 March 1957 (age 68)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Malaysian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (2008–2018) Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) (2019–2026) Independent (2018–2019, 2026–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) (2008–2018) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2018–2020) Perikatan Nasional (PN) (2020–2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Norashikin Abdul Ghani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Tuanku Abdul Rahman School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Technology Malaysia (Dip) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Full list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hamzah bin Zainudin (Jawi:حمزة بن زين الدين; born 12 March 1957) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 17thLeader of the Opposition since December 2022[2][3] and theMember of Parliament (MP) forLarut since March 2008. He served as theMinister of Home Affairs for the second term in theBarisan Nasional (BN) administration under formerprime ministerIsmail Sabri Yaakob from August 2021 to the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 and the first term in thePerikatan Nasional (PN) administration under former prime ministerMuhyiddin Yassin from March 2020 to the collapse of the PN administration in August 2021,Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism,Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities andDeputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in the BN administration under former prime ministersAbdullah Ahmad Badawi andNajib Razak from March 2008 to the collapse of the BN administration in May 2018 as well as asenator from September 2000 to September 2006. He is anindependent. He was a member of theMalaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition and of theUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He has also served as the Deputy Chairman of PN since December 2024. He also served as the 3rd Deputy President of BERSATU from November 2024 to his removal from the party in February 2026,[4] the 1st Secretary-General of PN from March 2020 to December 2024 and the 3rd Secretary-General of BERSATU from March 2020 to November 2024.[5] He is also the first independent and incumbent Leader of the Opposition to be removed from his political party in the history.
Hamzah was born on 12 March 1957 inPerak,Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia).[citation needed] He was a student atSekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR).[6] He received his Diploma inQuantity Surveying fromUniversity of Technology Malaysia in 1975.[5][7]
He served as the General Manager with Maju Bangun Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary company of the Perak State Development Corporation from 1980 till 1987. He has also served as a member of the board ofIpoh City Council and Stadium Merdeka Corporation from 1987 to 1993 and 1991 to 1997 respectively. In 1989, he ventured into private business and sat on several companies listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (known then as theKuala Lumpur Stock Exchange). He held various chairman and deputy chairman duties, including chairman ofFELCRA Berhad, the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority that oversees land management and development of agro land owned by the individuals and states.[5][8]
Hamzah was elected to theHouse of Representatives in the2008 election and was appointed aDeputy Minister of Housing and Local Government.[9][10] He was previously a member of theMalaysian Senate.[11]
He served as theMinister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism,Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities andDeputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in theBarisan Nasional (BN) administration under former prime ministersAbdullah Ahmad Badawi andNajib Razak from March 2008 to the defeat ofBN in the2018 general election in May 2018. He has also served as themember of parliament (MP) forLarut since March 2008. Presently he is a member of theMalaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) and its 3rd secretary-general since March 2020, a component party of the rulingPN coalition and he also serves as its 1st secretary-general since August 2020. He was a member of the then-rulingUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of theBN coalition.[12] He subsequently resigned fromUMNO to joinBERSATU in December 2018.[13]
In 2020, when thePakatan Harapan government crumpled due toMahathir Mohamad's sudden resignation after trying to eradicate those who are involved in theSheraton Move but failed. He was elected as the Home Minister by the newly appointed Prime MinisterMuhyiddin Yassin in hiscabinet.[5] He then retained as the Home Minister inIsmail Sabri cabinet.[14]
In December 2022, he led thePerikatan Nasional coalition to become the 17thLeader of the Opposition. He was later sacked by the disciplinary body of BERSATU in 13 February 2026 over party violations, alongside other 16 members includingWan Ahmad Fayhsal, triggering an internal crisis in BERSATU and takeover of the official Facebook page by alleged pro-Hamzah administrators.[15][16]
In 2004, he was asked to pay his first wife Nooraini Rashid RM11.2 million in settlements for allegedly divorcing her to marry a much younger woman. In 2007 however, the Syariah Appeals Court allowed for his appeal to not pay his ex-wife.[5][17]
In August 2008, former best friend and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, filed a defamation suit against him seeking RM10 million in damages over Hamzah’s allegations that Anwar had harassed his wife in 1998. Hamzah allegedly made the remark when campaigning during thePermatang Pauh by-election in August 2008, which subsequently saw Anwar’s return to parliament after a 10-year absence.[5][17]
In 2021, he was caught having a phone conversation with the soon-to-retireInspector-General of Police (IGP) to allow him to internally transfer staffs and also enable him to have over certain jurisdiction ofPolis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) which will indirectly interfere with the operation. At the IGP's last week in office,Abdul Hamid Bador revealed all the dirty tricks of Hamzah trial efforts to interfere with the PDRM and how it will affect the PDRM's reputation.[5] He acknowledged that the voice of the recording was his and stand being corrected as it is not unlawful despite IGP's comment on how politician's interference will make operations hard for the PDRM.[18][19][20][21][22]
Hamzah was married to Noraini Abdul Rashid in 1981 before divorcing her in 1996 to marry his second wife, Nurasikin Abdul Ghani.[5] He has 5 children.
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | P056Larut | Hamzah Zainudin (UMNO) | 15,878 | 53.20% | Mohd Dhari Othman (PAS) | 13,967 | 46.80% | 30,589 | 1,911 | 77.06% | ||
| 2013 | Hamzah Zainudin (UMNO) | 22,184 | 56.38% | Mohd Fauzi Shaari (PAS) | 16,888 | 42.92% | 40,100 | 5,296 | 86.09% | |||
| Raveendran M. Vallikana (IND) | 278 | 0.70% | ||||||||||
| 2018 | Hamzah Zainudin (UMNO) | 18,184 | 45.90% | Abu Husin Mohammad (PAS) | 13,698 | 34.57% | 40,470 | 4,486 | 81.84% | |||
| Khairil Anuar Akhiruddin (BERSATU) | 7,738 | 19.53% | ||||||||||
| 2022 | Hamzah Zainudin (BERSATU) | 28,350 | 54.65% | Mohd Shafiq Fhadly Mahmud (UMNO) | 16,752 | 32.29% | 51,875 | 11,598 | 78.93% | |||
| Zolkarnian Abidin (AMANAH) | 6,207 | 11.97% | ||||||||||
| Awzey Fazlan Sahidi (PEJUANG) | 566 | 1.09% | ||||||||||
Malaysia.svg)
Officer of theOrder of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (2000)[31]
Recipient of the17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
Negeri Sembilan
Knight Commander of theOrder of Tuanku Jaafar (DPTJ) –Dato' (1997)[31]
Pahang
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) –Dato' Sri (2021)[32]
Perak
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) –Dato' Seri (2015)[31][33]
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) –Dato' (2002).svg)
Commander of theOrder of the Perak State Crown (PMP) (1992)[34].svg)
Recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (PPT) (1990)[34]
Sabah
Grand Commander of theOrder of Kinabalu (SPDK) –Datuk Seri Panglima (2020)[35][36]
