Hamzah Zainudin
Malaysian politician
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Hamzah bin Zainudin (Jawi: حمزة بن زين الدين; born 12 March 1957) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Larut since March 2008. He served as the 17th Leader of the Opposition from December 2022 to his resignation in April 2026.[2][3] He is currently an independent politician and was a member and the 3rd Deputy President of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, where he is served as one of its Deputy Chairmen, until his removal from the party in February 2026.[4][5]
(2022–2024)
Ibrahim Iskandar
(2024–2026)
Hamzah Zainudin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| حمزة زين الدين | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hamzah in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17th Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 December 2022 – 11 April 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarchs | Abdullah (2022–2024) Ibrahim Iskandar (2024–2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Anwar Ibrahim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | TBA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Hamzah bin Zainudin 12 March 1957[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Malaysian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (2000–2018) Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) (2019–2026) Independent (2018–2019, 2026–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) (2000–2018) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2018–2020) Perikatan Nasional (PN) (2020–2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Noraini Abdul Rashid
(m. 1981; div. 1996)Norashikin Abdul Ghani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Tuanku Abdul Rahman School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University of Technology Malaysia (Dip) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards | Full list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education
Hamzah was born on 12 March 1957 in Perak, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia).[citation needed] He was a student at Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR).[6] He received his Diploma in Quantity Surveying from University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) in 1975.[5][7]
Early career
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 of Ipoh 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 the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange). He held various chairman and deputy chairman duties, including chairman of FELCRA 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]
Political career
He was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2008 election and was appointed a Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government.[9][10] He was previously a member of the Malaysian Senate.[11]
He served as the Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities and Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former prime ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak from March 2008 to the defeat of BN in the 2018 general election in May 2018. He has also served as the member of parliament (MP) for Larut since March 2008. Presently he is a member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) and its 3rd secretary-general since March 2020, a component party of the ruling PN coalition and he also serves as its 1st secretary-general since August 2020. He was a member of the then-ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition.[12] He subsequently resigned from UMNO to join BERSATU in December 2018.[13]
In 2020, when the Pakatan Harapan government crumpled due to Mahathir Mohamad's sudden resignation after trying to eradicate those who are involved in the Sheraton Move but failed. He was elected as the Home Minister by the newly appointed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his cabinet.[5] He then retained as the Home Minister in Ismail Sabri cabinet.[14]
In December 2022, he led the Perikatan Nasional coalition to become the 17th Leader of the Opposition. He was later sacked by the disciplinary body of BERSATU in 13 February 2026 over party violations, alongside other 16 members including Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, triggering an internal crisis in BERSATU and takeover of the official Facebook page by alleged pro-Hamzah administrators.[15][16]
Controversies and issues
Divorcing his first wife
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]
Allegations against Anwar Ibrahim
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 the Permatang Pauh by-election in August 2008, which subsequently saw Anwar’s return to parliament after a 10-year absence.[5][17]
Intervention in PDRM
In 2021, he was caught having a phone conversation with the soon-to-retire Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to allow him to internally transfer staffs and also enable him to have over certain jurisdiction of Polis 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]
Allegation of being an operator
Hamzah is widely known in Malaysian politics as an "operator". This was evident during his early years in UMNO, where he was an influential and strategic political operator, renowned for his ability to control narratives and build networks, especially during power transitions. Known to work within the shadows, he played a key role as the architect behind the Sheraton Move that brought down the Pakatan Harapan government.[23]
When I ask a politician, "Who is Hamzah Zainudin?" the first thing I hear is that he's an operator. One of the greatest political operators in history. Operators are people who solve problems behind the scenes. They never surface. For me, you were the Lord of Darkness. You operated in the shadows.
— Khairy Jamaluddin, 2025
Personal life
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.
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | P056 Larut | 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 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% | ||||||||||
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaysia
Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (2000)[32]
Recipient of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
Negeri Sembilan
Knight Commander of the Order of Tuanku Jaafar (DPTJ) – Dato' (1997)[32]
Pahang
Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2021)[33]
Perak
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (2015)[32][34]
Knight Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) – Dato' (2002)
Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (PMP) (1992)[35]
Recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (PPT) (1990)[35]- Justice of the Peace (JP) (1996)[35]
Sabah
Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (2020)[36][37]
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