Hishammuddin Hussein | |
|---|---|
| هشام الدين حسين | |
 Hishammuddin in 2018 | |
| Treasurer General of theBarisan Nasional | |
| In office 23 October 2019 – 27 April 2023 | |
| Chairman | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Preceded by | Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor |
| Succeeded by | Johari Abdul Ghani |
| Deputy President of the United Malays National Organisation | |
| Acting 12 May 2018 – 30 June 2018 | |
| President | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (acting) |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Mohamad Hasan |
| Vice President of the United Malays National Organisation | |
| In office 26 March 2009 – 30 June 2018 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Mohd Ali Rustam |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed Khaled Nordin |
| 12thYouth Chief of the United Malays National Organisation | |
| In office 1999–2009 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Succeeded by | Khairy Jamaluddin |
| Senior Minister of Security Cluster | |
| In office 30 August 2021 – 24 November 2022 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Prime Minister | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| In office 7 July 2021 – 16 August 2021 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Prime Minister | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Preceded by | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 30 August 2021 – 24 November 2022 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Prime Minister | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
| Preceded by | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
| Succeeded by | Mohamad Hasan |
| In office 16 May 2013 – 10 May 2018 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Succeeded by | Mohamad Sabu |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 10 March 2020 – 16 August 2021 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Prime Minister | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Preceded by | Saifuddin Abdullah |
| Succeeded by | Saifuddin Abdullah |
| Minister with Special Functions | |
| In office 12 April 2017 – 10 May 2018 | |
| Monarch | Muhammad V |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Preceded by | Position restored |
| Succeeded by | Position vacated |
| Minister of Transport | |
| Acting 16 May 2013 – 24 June 2014 | |
| Monarch | Abdul Halim |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Preceded by | Kong Cho Ha |
| Succeeded by | Liow Tiong Lai |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 10 April 2009 – 20 April 2013 | |
| Monarchs |
|
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Preceded by | Syed Hamid Albar |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 27 March 2004 – 10 April 2009 | |
| Monarchs |
|
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Musa Mohamad |
| Succeeded by | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Minister of Youth and Sports | |
| In office 15 December 1999 – 26 March 2004 | |
| Monarchs |
|
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Succeeded by | Azalina Othman Said |
| Deputy Minister of Primary Industries | |
| In office 12 November 1996 – 14 December 1999 | |
| Monarchs |
|
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Minister | Lim Keng Yaik |
| Preceded by | Siti Zainaboon Abu Bakar |
| Succeeded by | Anifah Aman |
| Member of theMalaysian Parliament forSembrong | |
| Assumed office 21 March 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 16,978 (2004) 11,570 (2008) 10,631 (2013) 6,662 (2018) 10,880 (2022) |
| Member of theMalaysian Parliament forTenggara | |
| In office 25 April 1995 – 21 March 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Adham Baba |
| Majority | 24,518 (1995) 20,817 (1999) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hishammuddin bin Hussein (1961-08-05)5 August 1961 (age 64) |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)[note 1] |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN)[note 1] |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Jaafar Muhammad (great-grandfather) Onn Jaafar (grandfather) Mohamed Noah Omar (grandfather) Onn Hafiz Ghazi (nephew) Abdul Razak Hussein (uncle) Najib Razak (cousin) Yahya Awang (brother-in-law) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Hussein Onn (father) Suhailah Noah (mother) |
| Residence(s) | Ampang,Kuala Lumpur |
| Education | Malay College Kuala Kangsar St. John's Institution Alice Smith School Cheltenham College |
| Alma mater | Aberystwyth University (LLB) London School of Economics (LLM) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Hishammuddin bin Hussein (Jawi: هشام الدين بن حسين; born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served asSenior Minister of the Security Cluster andMinister of Defence from 2021 to 2022.[1][2] A member of theUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of theBarisan Nasional (BN) coalition, he has been aMember of Parliament (MP) forSembrong since 2004, having previously been an MP forTenggara from 1995 to 2004.
Hishammuddin was born inJohor Bahru toHussein Onn andSuhailah Noah. His father was the thirdprime minister of Malaysia. He attendedMalay College Kuala Kangsar,St. John's Institution,Alice Smith School, andCheltenham College. He then graduated with aBachelor of Laws fromAberystwyth University and aMaster of Laws from theLondon School of Economics before working as alawyer.[3] After making partner at Skrine, he started his own firm, Lee Hishammuddin, which later merged with Allen and Gledhill to form Lee Hishammuddin Allen and Gledhill.
On his return from the UK, Hishammuddin joined UMNO. He was first elected to theDewan Rakyat in the1995 election, winning the seat ofTenggara. He was later appointed deputy minister and was promoted to full minister in 1999. In 1999, he was elected as UMNO's youth chief, and subsequently as its vice president in 2009. Since then, he has held variousministerial positions until the defeat of BN in the2018 election. Despite the defeat, he managed to retain hisSembrong seat.
At the beginning of thepolitical crisis that started in 2020, Hishammuddin returned to thecabinet asMinister of Foreign Affairs under thePerikatan Nasional (PN) coalition led byMuhyiddin Yassin. Amid the worsening political crisis in July 2021, Muhyiddin appointed Hishammuddin asSenior Minister of Security Cluster to replaceIsmail Sabri Yaakob, who was appointedDeputy Prime Minister. He briefly served in the office until August 2021, after Muhyiddin announced his resignation. Two weeks after that, Hishammuddin returned again to thecabinet under the new prime minister Ismail Sabri, who re-appointed him as senior minister. He was also appointed theMinister of Defence, an office he had held previously from 2013 to 2018.
Hishammuddin was born on 5 August 1961,[2] the fourth child and the eldest son ofHussein Onn, who became the thirdPrime Minister of Malaysia, andSuhaila Noah.[4] He is the grandson ofOnn Jaafar, a prominentMalay leader and the founder of theUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO), whose mother was aCircassian and born in theOttoman Empire.[5][6]
Hishammuddin attended theMalay College Kuala Kangsar before his father becameDeputy Prime Minister in 1973. Upon his father's appointment to the office, he attendedSt. John's Institution, and then theAlice Smith School, in Kuala Lumpur, before attending the English public schoolCheltenham College inGloucestershire.[citation needed]
Hishammuddin graduated with aBachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from theUniversity of Wales, Aberystwyth, in 1984. He also attended theLondon School of Economics and received aMaster of Laws (LLM) degree in Commercial and Corporate Law in 1988.[citation needed]
After completing his studies in UK, Hishammuddin returned to Malaysia in 1989. He joinedUMNO and began his career as alawyer.[7] He became a partner of Skrine & Co (present day Skrine), the largest law firm in Malaysia.[8] In 1993, he left Skrine & Co to set up his own law firm with Thomas Mun Lung Lee, and the established law firm was known as Lee Hishammuddin (present day Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill).[7]
Hishammuddin rose through the ranks of UMNO's youth wing in the 1990s, becoming its national chief in 1998. He assumed the position at a time whenUMNO Youth had been torn apart by the sacking of Deputy Prime MinisterAnwar Ibrahim, who was popular among young UMNO members. Hishammuddin's predecessor,Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, had been a core supporter of Anwar.[9]
In 1995, Hishammuddin had been elected to the federal parliament for theJohor-based seat ofTenggara. He was immediately appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for International Trade and Industry in the government ofMahathir Mohamad. His rise to the leadership of UMNO Youth in 1998 coincided with his elevation to the full ministry the following year, as the Minister for Youth and Sport. He retained his parliamentary seat in the1999 election.[9]
In 2004, the Barisan Nasional government, now led byAbdullah Badawi, was returned to power with Hishammuddin holding the newly created seat ofSembrong. Hishammuddin was re-elected as the leader of UMNO Youth and appointed Minister for Education.[9]
In 2009, the resignation ofAbdullah Badawi as prime minister caused a shake-up in UMNO's senior leadership.Najib Razak, Hishammuddin's cousin, became UMNO's president and the prime minister,Muhyiddin Yassin became Najib's deputy in both the party and the government, and the three UMNO vice-presidencies were up for election. Hishammuddin, vacating the leadership of UMNO Youth, contested the vice-presidencies, finishing in second place in an eight-man field. His ascension to the party's vice-presidency in turn guaranteed him a senior Cabinet post,[10] and he was appointed Minister for Home Affairs.[11]
After the2013 election, in which Najib's government suffered further losses, especially among Chinese voters, Hishammuddin recontested the UMNO vice-presidency. He was barely re-elected in third place, finishing nine votes ahead ofMukhriz Mahathir.[12] He switched ministries with Zahid, taking over the latter's portfolio of Defence. He also assumed the transport ministry on an acting basis; that ministry was normally reserved for theMalaysian Chinese Association, which had decided to withdraw from the Cabinet temporarily, having endured significant losses in the general election.[13] As acting transport minister he was thrust into the international spotlight as the minister responsible for the investigation into the disappearance ofMalaysia Airlines Flight 370.[14] TheSydney Morning Herald criticised Hishammuddin in this position, arguing that he had "struggled during daily press briefings to defend his country’s handling of the search and investigation".[15] Najib, however, defended Hishammuddin's performance. His role ceased in June 2014, whenLiow Tiong Lai assumed the ministry. Hishammuddin retained his substantive post as defence minister.[16]
In April 2017, Hishammuddin was appointedMinister in the Prime Minister's Department for Special Functions. Prime MinisterNajib Razak said that the appointment would enable Hishammuddin to carry out duties other than his responsibilities as Minister of Defence, he still however would remain as Minister for Defence.[17]
In March 2020, Hishammuddin was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by newly appointed prime ministerMuhyiddin Yassin following the collapse of the previous Pakatan Harapan Government in February.[18]
In his second term as UMNO Youth's leader, Hishammuddin sparked controversy by brandishing thekeris, a Malay sword and symbol ofMalay nationalism, at UMNO's 2005 annual general meeting. In response to concerns over the racial rhetoric, Vice-PresidentTan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that "Although some sides were a bit extreme [this year], it is quite normal to voice feelings during the assembly."[19] The racially provocative act was criticized by opposition politicians as well as some Chinese politicians from the Barisan Nasional coalition.[20] In 2008, Hishammuddin conceded that the act had caused the coalition to lose support among non-Malay voters inthat year's general election.[21]
On 6 August 2020, Hishammuddin apologised after being caught vaping during a Parliament session.[22][23]
On 2 April 2021, Hishammuddin’s two-day working visit toChina was overshadowed by a diplomatic gaffe.[24] Opposition LeaderAnwar Ibrahim criticised Hishammuddin for calling China a "big brother" during his joint address with his Chinese counterpart MinisterWang Yi. Anwar also said the comment may have set Malaysia's foreign policy back by 25 years.[25]
On 3 April 2021, Hishammuddin defended using the term “Big Brother” to refer to Wang Yi, saying it was a sign of respect.[26][27] Former foreign ministerAnifah Aman has told Hishammuddin to admit his error in making a "big brother" reference to China, instead of compounding the matter by disputing it.[28]
On 27 September 2021, the cabinet of Malaysia has sparked criticism after Hishammuddin announced a new equity policy forBumiputera companies under the five-year development plan,Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP), which was tabled by him in Parliament. The policy is said to ensure sustainable equity holdings by Bumiputera, an equity safety net would be launched to guarantee that the sale of shares or Bumiputera firms would only be sold to Bumiputera companies, consortiums or individuals.[29][30]Syed Saddiq mentioned that the new rulings were unfair as they would be tantamount to taking equity from the non-bumiputeras and giving them to bumiputera. Former Health Minister,Dzulkefly Ahmad had also described the policy as "suicidal" and claimed that the new policy would only kill the Bumiputera companies economically if that is their intention. He also said that based on the feedback from Malay businessmen, most were against the idea of the new Bumiputera-only policy being implemented.[31] Ismail Sabri announced it after revealing that the government’s target to raise Bumiputera equity ownership to 30% had yet to be achieved. He also announced fundings to improve Bumiputera businesses’ sustainability to hit 15% contribution ingross domestic product (GDP) by Bumiputera micro, small and medium enterprises by 2025.[32][33][34]
In 1986, Hussein married Tengku Marsilla Tengku Abdullah, a princess from the state ofPahang. They reside in Kuala Lumpur, the couple has two sons and two daughters (Kyra Arianna, Faris, Fahd, and Nasha Alyssa).[9]
On 22 February 2022, Hussein tested positive forCOVID-19 and he had experienced "very mild" symptoms amid theOmicron infection surge in Malaysia.[35]
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponents | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | P136Tenggara | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 28,727 | 87.22% | Madin Khani @ Md. Din A. Ghani (S46) | 4,209 | 12.78% | 34,782 | 24,518 | 63.36% | ||
| 1999 | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 28,376 | 78.96% | Lokman Noor Adam (keADILan) | 7,559 | 21.04% | 37,829 | 20,817 | 78.06% | |||
| 2004 | P153Sembrong | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 19,575 | 88.29% | Onn Jaafar (PAS) | 2,597 | 11.71% | 22,956 | 16,978 | 74.61% | ||
| 2008 | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 17,988 | 73.70% | Lee Sang (PKR) | 6,418 | 26.30% | 25,211 | 11,570 | 75.98% | |||
| 2013 | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 22,841 | 65.17% | Onn Abu Bakar (PKR) | 12,210 | 34.83% | 35,910 | 10,631 | 86.35% | |||
| 2018 | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 21,353 | 59.24% | Onn Abu Bakar (PKR) | 14,691 | 40.76% | 36,044 | 6,662 | 83.02% | |||
| 2022 | Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) | 22,572 | 55.15% | Hasni Abas (PKR) | 11,692 | 28.57% | 40,930 | 10,880 | 74.44% | |||
| Aziz Ismail (BERSATU) | 6,666 | 16.29% | ||||||||||
Malaysia
Recipient of theGeneral Service Medal (PPA)_ribbon.svg)
Recipient of theNational Sovereignty Medal (PKN) (2014)[42]
Recipient of the11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (1999)
Recipient of the12th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2002)
Recipient of the13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2007)
Recipient of the14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2012)
Recipient of the15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2017)
Recipient of the16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2019)
Recipient of the17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
Johor
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Johor (DPMJ) –Dato' (1996)[43]
Malacca
Grand Commander of theExalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) –Datuk Seri (2014)[44]
Pahang
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) –Dato' Sri (2004)[45]
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – formerlyDato', nowDato' Indera (2002)
Knight Companion of theOrder of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (DSAP) –Dato' (1998)
Perlis
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Perlis (SPMP) –Dato' Seri (2007)
Sabah
Grand Commander of theOrder of Kinabalu (SPDK) –Datuk Seri Panglima (2011)[46]
Sarawak
Knight Commander of theMost Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) –Dato Sri (2013)[47]
Media related toHishammuddin Hussein at Wikimedia Commons| Perlis | |
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| F.T. Kuala Lumpur |
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| Negeri Sembilan | |
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| F.T. of Labuan | |
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