Ahmad Zahid Hamidi | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| أحمد زاهد حميدي | |||||||||||||
_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) Zahid in 2017 | |||||||||||||
| 11th and 14th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia | |||||||||||||
| Assumed office 3 December 2022 Serving with Fadillah Yusof | |||||||||||||
| Monarchs | Abdullah (2022–2024) Ibrahim (2024–present) | ||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ismail Sabri Yaakob (2021) | ||||||||||||
| In office 29 July 2015 – 10 May 2018 | |||||||||||||
| Monarchs | Abdul Halim (2015–2016) Muhammad V (2016–2018) | ||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Muhyiddin Yassin | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail | ||||||||||||
| 14thLeader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||
| In office 18 July 2018 – 10 March 2019 | |||||||||||||
| Monarchs | Muhammad V (2018–2019) Abdullah (2019–2019) | ||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ismail Sabri Yaakob | ||||||||||||
| 8thPresident of the United Malays National Organisation (ex officio: Chairman ofBarisan Nasional) | |||||||||||||
| Assumed office 30 June 2018 Acting: 12 May 2018 – 30 June 2018 On leave: 18 December 2018 – 30 June 2019 | |||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Najib Razak | ||||||||||||
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| Member of theMalaysian Parliament forBagan Datuk | |||||||||||||
| Assumed office 25 April 1995 | |||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mohamed Jamrah | ||||||||||||
| Majority | 14,830 (1995) 4,617 (1999) 12,539 (2004) 2,692 (2008) 2,108 (2013) 5,073 (2018) 348 (2022) | ||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||
| Born | Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi (1953-01-04)4 January 1953 (age 73) | ||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Malaysia | ||||||||||||
| Party | UMNO (1973–present) | ||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (1973–present) | ||||||||||||
| Spouse | Hamidah Khamis | ||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | Raden Hamidi Raden Abdul Fatah (father) Tuminah Abdul Jalil (mother) | ||||||||||||
| Education | University of Malaya (BA) University of Putra Malaysia (PhD) | ||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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| Website | Official blog | ||||||||||||
| Ahmad Zahid Hamidi onFacebook Ahmad Zahid Hamidi onParliament of Malaysia | |||||||||||||
Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi (Jawi:أحمد زاهد بن حميدي; born 4 January 1953) is a Malaysian politician who is thedeputy prime minister since 2022. A president ofUMNO since 2018, he representedBagan Datuk inDewan Rakyat since 1995. Zahid is also therural and regional development minister since 2022, as well as the leader and the chairman of the coalitionBarisan Nasional (BN) since May 2018. He is the first UMNO president, after theMalayan independence to not be elected as prime minister.
Born inPerak. He served in several cabinet positions under former Prime MinistersAbdullah Ahmad Badawi andNajib Razak from March 2008 to May 2018 and served as deputy prime minister from July 2015 to May 2018.[1] Zahid became the president of the UMNO in 2018 following the party's defeat in the2018 election. He served as the 14thLeader of the Opposition from July 2018 to March 2019. Under his leadership, UMNO and BN won at the2021 Malacca state election and the2022 Johor state election, but achieved its worst result inMalaysian history at the2022 federal election. After BN formed a coalition government withPakatan Harapan and other regional parties, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia alongsideFadillah Yusof in December 2022, making him the first person to be appointed to this position twice, under two different administrations.
Zahid has faced several investigations and charges forcorruption during his career.
Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi was born on 4 January 1953 inBagan Datuk,Perak,[2][3] the eldest son of nine children (seven sons and two daughters) in the family.[4][5] On 1 October 2011, his mother, Tuminah Abdul Jalil, died of a stroke and heart complication in her hometown Sungai Nipah Darat,Bagan Datoh. She was previously hospitalized at the Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital inKuala Lumpur. Both of his parents are Indonesian-born Malaysians.[6]
He was raised by aChinese foster-father, Chen Jin Ting and sold ice cream together for six years with his foster family when he was in elementary school. Chen was not highly educated and would cycle from his house atSimpang Tiga,Hilir Perak to about three kilometers away selling ice cream. Chen was married with his foster mother, Guo Jin Luan. His father later died in 1999, more than ten days after the general election of that year.[7] Following accusations that he was anti-Chinese, he responded asking: "Am I anti-Chinese when I have a Chinese foster father?".[8]
Before venturing into politics, Ahmad Zahid studied atUniversity of Malaya for his bachelor's degree where he graduated in 1976. He also holds a Certificate in Banking fromBank Negara Malaysia before being a banker forOCBC. He then became one of the directors ofBank Simpanan Nasional (1995–1998) andPermodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). During his corporate career, he was a marketing executive for Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), Executive Director for Scandinavian Motors Sdn Bhd, chief executive officer of Kretam Holdings Berhad, chairman of Tekala Corporation Berhad, Seng Hup Berhad and Ramatex Berhad. In 1999 he became the chairman ofSyarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB).[9]In 2008, he received his PhD in Communication atUniversity of Putra Malaysia after he spent seven years to complete his thesis.[10]
In 1986, Zahid was appointed political secretary toNajib Razak during the latter's term as youth minister (1986–1990) and thenminister of defence (1990–1995).
He was elected asUMNO Youth Chief in 1996. He was once the Chief of UMNO youth Bagan Datoh branch, the Vice Chief for the state of Perak UMNO Youth, and Head of the UMNO Communication for UMNO Youth.
In the1995 general election, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi became a Member of Parliament after winning theBagan Datok parliamentary seat in Perak.
In the1999 general election, Zahid was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Bagan Datok. He was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council in the following year.
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After he won the seat for a third consecutive time in the2004 general elections, Zahid was appointed asDeputy Tourism Minister by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. While being a Deputy Minister, he pursued a Doctor of Philosophy degree from UPM, thesis entitledBarisan Nasional Manifesto As Agenda for Malay Language Newspaper During the General Election Campaign.
In the political tsunami of2008, Zahid again retained his Bagan Datok parliamentary seat at a time when manyBN party heavyweights were trounced. He was then appointed asMinister in the Prime Minister's Department. In the April 2009 cabinet reshuffle, Zahid was appointedMinister of Defence by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
He was able to retain his parliamentary seat of Bagan Datok in the 2013 election, although with a decreased majority. He was appointedMinister of Home Affairs in 2013, replacingHishammuddin Hussein, who took Zahid's previous position at the Ministry of Defence.[11]
In July 2015, he was appointed the country's 11thDeputy Prime Minister in a cabinet reshuffle.[12]
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In the2018 UMNO leadership election, Zahid gained more votes than his rivals,Khairy Jamaluddin andTengku Razaleigh Hamzah, making him the new President of UMNO and also the firstLeader of the Opposition from BN coalition.
After facing weeks of mounting pressure to step down as party president and calls for fresh party polls,[13][14] Zahid finally announces his decision to temporary step down and take leave on 18 December 2018.[15] His deputy,Mohamad Hasan, acted the position of leading the party.[16] On 30 June 2019, he announced his return from "garden leave" back to active role as UMNO President.[17][18]
In the2022 election, he led the party to achieve its worst result in Malaysian history, only winning 26 out of 222 seats (BN won 30 seats).[19] Several key figures includingTengku Razaleigh Hamzah,Mahdzir Khalid,Azeez Rahim,Tengku Zafrul Aziz andKhairy Jamaluddin, lost to either PN or PH candidates.[19][20][21][22] UMNO/BN was also defeated at several state elections held inPahang andPerak, and lost all seats inPerlis.[23] Zahid himself was re-elected with a slim majority.[24] Following the election defeat, he faced internal pressures to resign as the UMNO President.[25][26][27]
Ahmad Zahid had been sued by businessman Amir Bazli Abdullah for allegedly punching him in the face on 16 January 2006 at the Country Heights recreational club in Kajang, Selangor, causing the latter to suffer a nasal bone fracture and a swollen left eye.[28] The case was pursued in the civil courts for six years before the matter was settled out of court.[29]
Shortly after theBlack 505 rallies following the13th Malaysian General Election due to claims of electoral fraud and vote manipulation, he said that Malaysians who are unhappy with the country's political system and dislike theBN government should "get lost" from the country. This statement has raised discontentment among the citizens, putting a serious question mark over his political future in a multiracial society.[30] The statement was made after a series of street demonstrations led by opposition parties that has refused to accept theresults of the 13th Malaysian General election. His first act as Home Minister was to order a crack down against opposition leaders and dissent, landing him in a bigger controversy with sedition laws being used to attempt to suppress the voices of opposition parties.[31]
During a speech in Malacca, Zahid was recorded endorsing the police policy of "shoot to kill" when arresting dangerous criminals,[32] including backing a certain group of gangsters.[33][34][35]
In October 2018, after thebrutally devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Central Sulawesi on 28 September 2018, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was condemned by Indonesian public for calling the natural disasters in Central Sulawesi were "God's (Allah) rage against the LGBT community in Indonesia because they are allowed to live in Indonesia" without realised Malaysia was sent humanitarian aid to the victims of the natural disasters in Central Sulawesi.[36]
On 18 October 2018, Zahid was arrested by theMalaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and charged in court the following day on 45 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT), abuse of power and money laundering involving a total of RM114 million (about US$27.4 million) funds of Yayasan Akalbudi.[37][38] On 14 December 2018, he was charged with another CBT offence, involving RM10 million.[39] On 20 February 2019, Zahid was again charged with an additional CBT charge, involving RM260,000.[40][41]
On 26 June 2019, Zahid became the subject of 7 new corruption charges involving S$4.2 million (RM12.8 million) which he allegedly received from a foreign visa (VLN) system operator totalling RM42.76 million under his capacity as the Home Minister then.[42] On the next day, he faced 33 more charges totalling RM42.76 million involving the VLN system two years before.[43] The latest charges brought the total number of outstanding charges to 87.[44][45][46]
On 24 January 2022, Zahid has been ordered to enter his defence against all 47 criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering charges involving funds.[47][48][49][50][51]
On 17 February 2022, former prime ministerMuhyiddin Yassin has divulged more details regarding his claims that Ahmad Zahid sought his intervention in court cases. Muhyiddin said Zahid visited a few days after he took office as prime minister with a pile of files. He said he refused to interfere in Zahid andNajib Razak's court cases, which incited their anger and resulted in attempts to destabilise the government.[52]
On 23 February 2022,Mahathir Mohamad said he had a meeting with Zahid before the former became prime minister in 2018. Mahathir said Zahid went to his house with three other individuals and tried to be nice to him to avoid being charged for his misconduct when Umno was in power.[53]
On 23 September 2022, Zahid was acquitted by theMalaysian High Court of 40 bribery charges linked to a visa scheme, and seven charges for allegedly receiving bribes when he was home minister from 2013 to 2018. On 4 September 2023, Zahid received a dismissal not amount to acquittal on the remaining cases related to the Yayasan Akalbudi.[54]
He is married toHamidah Khamis and has 5 children. He is fluent inStandard Malay, localPerak Malay andJavanese. He speaks English with limited fluency,[55] and also speaks someMandarin.[56]
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | P072Bagan Datok | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 17,646 | 86.24% | Asha'ri Marsom (S46) | 2,816 | 13.76% | 21,937 | 14,830 | 62.02% | ||
| 1999 | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 12,938 | 60.86% | Mohamad Dahalan Arhsad (keADILan) | 8,321 | 39.14% | 22,164 | 4,617 | 60.24% | |||
| 2004 | P075Bagan Datok | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 17,049 | 79.08% | Ayyathurai Achutharaman (PKR) | 4,510 | 20.92% | 22,690 | 12,539 | 66.38% | ||
| 2008 | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 13,115 | 55.72% | Madzi Hasan (PKR) | 10,423 | 44.28% | 24,414 | 2,692 | 70.42% | |||
| 2013 | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 17,176 | 53.27% | Madhi Hasan (PKR) | 15,068 | 46.73% | 33,069 | 2,108 | 82.83% | |||
| 2018 | P075Bagan Datuk | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 18,909 | 51.37% | Pakhrurrazi Arshad (PKR) | 13,836 | 37.59% | 37,620 | 5,073 | 79.89% | ||
| Ata Abdul Muneim Hasan Adli (PAS) | 4,061 | 11.03% | ||||||||||
| 2022 | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO) | 16,578 | 39.61% | Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin (PKR) | 16,230 | 38.78% | 41,856 | 348 | 71.94% | |||
| Muhammad Faiz Na'aman (BERSATU) | 8,822 | 21.08% | ||||||||||
| Tawfik Ismail (IND) | 226 | 0.54% | ||||||||||
Malaysia
Recipient of theGeneral Service Medal (PPA)_ribbon.svg)
Recipient of theNational Sovereignty Medal (PKN) (2014)[60]
Recipient of the15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2017)
Recipient of the17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
Perak
Knight Grand Commander of thePerak Family Order of Sultan Nazrin Shah (SPSN) –Dato' Seri Diraja (2015)[61]
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) –Dato' Seri (2008)[61][62]
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) –Dato' (2001)[61].svg)
Member of theOrder of the Perak State Crown (AMP) (1992)[63].svg)
Recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (PPT) (1987)[64]
Kelantan
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (SJMK) –Dato' (2009)[61][65]
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Crown of Kelantan (DPMK) –Dato' (2005)[61][66]
Malacca
Knight Grand Commander of thePremier and Exalted Order of Malacca (DUNM) –Datuk Seri Utama (2015)[61][67] Companion Class I of theExalted Order of Malacca (DMSM) –Datuk (1993)[61]
Recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal (PJK) (1989)[68]
Pahang
Knight Grand Companion of theOrder of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) –Dato' Sri (2008)[61][69]
Perlis
Recipient of Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail Silver Jubilee Medal (2025)
Sabah
Grand Commander of theOrder of Kinabalu (SPDK) –Datuk Seri Panglima (2011)[61][70]
Sarawak_-_1._Knight_Grand_Commander_(DP).svg)
Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DP) –Datuk Patinggi (2016)[61][71]
Knight Commander of theOrder of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) –Dato Sri (2013)[61][72]
| Parliament of Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theDewan Rakyat forBagan Datuk 1995 - Present | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Deputy Minister of Tourism 27 March 2004 - 14 February 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister in the Prime Minister's Department 19 March 2018 - 9 April 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Defence 10 April 2009 - 15 May 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ministry of Home Affairs 10 April 2009 - 15 May 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia 29 July 2015– 9 May 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition 18 July 2018– 12 March 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia 3 December 2022 - Present Serving withFadillah Yusof | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | 8th President of theUnited Malays National Organisation 30 June 2018 - Present | Vacant Title next held by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | 6th Chairman of theBarisan Nasional 30 June 2018 - Present | Vacant Title next held by Incumbent |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
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