Dato' Seri The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...

Hamzah bin Zainudin ( ms, حمزة بن زين الدين, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 12 March 1957) is a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who has served as the 17th

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

since December 2022 and the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Larut Taiping (, Jawi: ; zh, t=太平, , Hokkien: Thài-pêng; ta, தைப்பிங்) is a town located in Larut, Matang and Selama District, Perak, Malaysia. It is located approximately northwest of Ipoh, the capital of Perak, and sou ...

since March 2008. He served as the

Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

for the second term in the

Barisan Nasional The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...

(BN) administration under former Prime Minister

Ismail Sabri Yaakob Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob ( ms, اسماعيل صبري بن يعقوب, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 18 January 1960) is a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the 9th Prime Minister of Malaysia from August 2 ...

from August 2021 to the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 and the first term in the

Perikatan Nasional The National Alliance ( ms, Perikatan Nasional; abbrev: PN) is a political coalition composed of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). This coalition was pr ...

(PN) administration under former Prime Minister

Muhyiddin Yassin Tan Sri Dato' Haji Mahiaddin bin Md Yasin (born 15 May 1947), commonly known as Muhyiddin bin Muhammad Yassin ( ms, محيي الدين بن محمد ياسين, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ), is a Malaysian politician who serv ...

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 A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a Cabinet (government), cabinet Minister (government), minister in charge of a sovereign state, state's foreign policy and foreign ...

, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities and Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in the BN administration under former Prime Ministers

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Tun Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi ( Jawi: عبد الله بن احمد بدوي; born 26 November 1939) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia from October 2003 to April 2009. He was also the sixth president of ...

and

Najib Razak Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malaysi ...

from March 2008 to the collapse of the BN administration in May 2018 as well as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from September 2000 to September 2006. He is a member of the

Malaysian United Indigenous Party The Malaysian United Indigenous Party ( ms, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), abbreviated BERSATU or PPBM, is a nationalist political party in Malaysia. The party was preceded by the United Indigenous Association of Malaysia (). It is a major c ...

(BERSATU), a component party of the

(PN) coalition and was a member of the

United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...

(UMNO), a component party of the

(BN) coalition. He has also served as Secretary-General of both BERSATU and PN since March 2020.

Early life and education

Hamzah was born on 12 March 1957 in

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

Federation of Malaya The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...

(now Malaysia). He was a student at

Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman ( en, Tuanku Abdul Rahman School; abbreviated STAR) is a premier, all-boys fully residential school in Malaysia funded by the Government of Malaysia. Named after the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of the Federat ...

(STAR). He received his Diploma in

Quantity Surveying A quantity surveyor (QS) is a construction industry professional with expert knowledge on construction costs and contracts. Qualified professional quantity surveyors are known as Chartered Surveyors (Members and Fellows of RICS) in the UK and Cer ...

from

University of Technology Malaysia , image_name = UTM-LOGO.png , image_size = , caption = Seal , latin_name = , motto = Kerana Tuhan Untuk Manusia , mottoeng = In the Name of God for Mankind , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , affiliatio ...

in 1975.

Early career

Hamzah began his career as a footballer(Selangor FA) and 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 The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE; ms, Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur) dates back to 1930 when the Singapore Stockbrokers' Association was set up as a formal organisation dealing in securities in Malaya. In 1937, it was re-registered as the Malayan ...

). He held various chairman and deputy chairman duties, including chairman of

FELCRA Berhad Felcra Berhad is a corporate organisation wholly owned by the Malaysian Government, under the Minister of Finance (Incorporated). Felcra Berhad was started off and initially established as a statutory body in 1966 with the name Federal Land Con ...

, the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority that oversees land management and development of agro land owned by the individuals and states.

Political career

Hamzah was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

in the 2008 election and was appointed a Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government. He was previously a member of the Malaysian Senate. He served as the Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism,

, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities and Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in the

(BN) administration under former Prime Ministers

and

from March 2008 to the defeat of BN in the 2018 general election in May 2018. He has also served as the

(MP) for

since March 2008. Presently he is a member of the

(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

(UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition. He subsequently resigned from

UMNO The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...

to join

BERSATU The Malaysian United Indigenous Party ( ms, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), abbreviated BERSATU or PPBM, is a nationalist political party in Malaysia. The party was preceded by the United Indigenous Association of Malaysia (). It is a major c ...

in December 2018. In 2020, when the Pakatan Harapan government crumpled due to

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

'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 cabinet The Muhyiddin cabinet was formed on 10 March 2020, nine days after Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia and dissolved later on 16 August 2021, the day when Muhyiddin submitted his resignations as PM and of this c ...

. He then retained as the Home Minister in Ismail Sabri cabinet.

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 wife. In 2007 however, the Syariah Appeals Court allowed for his appeal to not pay his ex-wife.

Anwar was sued for allegedly harassing his second wife

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.

Intervention in PDRM

In 2021, he was caught having a phone conversation with the soon-to-retire

inspector-general of police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

(IGP) to allow him to internally transfer staffs and also enable him to have over certain jurisdiction of

Polis Diraja Malaysia The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) ( ms, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation. Its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman ...

(PDRM) which will indirectly interfere with the operation. At the IGP's last week in office,

Abdul Hamid Bador Abdul Hamid bin Bador ( Jawi: عبد الحميد بن بادر; born 7 August 1958) is a former Malaysian police officer who served as the 12th Inspector-General of Police (IGP) from May 2019 to May 2021. He was the Acting Deputy Inspector-Ge ...

revealed all the dirty tricks of Hamzah trial efforts to interfere with the PDRM and how it will affect the PDRM's reputation. 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.

Personal life

Hamzah was married to Noraini Abdul Rashid in 1981 before divorcing her in 1996 to marry his second wife, Norashikin Abdul Ghani. He has 5 children.

Election results

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Officer of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace o ...

(KMN) (2000) * : ** MY-NEG Grand Order of Tuanku Jaafar - DPTJ

Knight Commander of the Order of Tuanku Jaafar (DPTJ) – Dato' (1997) * : ** MY-PERA_Order_of_the_Perak_State_Crown_-_lower_classes

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Perak State Crown The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown (Malay language, Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak. Background It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 D ...

(DPMP) – Dato' (2002) ** MY-PERA Order of the Perak State Crown - Kn Grd Commander - SPMP

Knight Grand Commander of the

(SPMP) – Dato' Seri (2015) * : ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - SPDK

Grand Commander of the

Order of Kinabalu The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu (Malay: ''Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Kinabalu'') is the only order conferred by the Governor of Sabah, Malaysia. Background The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu is established by virtue of Section 3(a) of State Honou ...

(SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (2020) * : ** MY-PAH_Order_of_Sultan_Ahmad_Shah_of_Pahang_-_Grand_Knight_-_SSAP

Grand Knight of the

Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang The Most Illustrious Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (Malay: ''Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang Yang Amat Di Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah on 24 Oc ...

(SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamzah, Zainuddin Living people 1957 births People from Perak Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian people of Indonesian descent Malaysian Muslims Malaysian businesspeople Malaysian United Indigenous Party politicians Former United Malays National Organisation politicians Independent politicians in Malaysia Government ministers of Malaysia Home ministers of Malaysia Members of the Dewan Rakyat Members of the Dewan Negara Officers of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Grand Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu 21st-century Malaysian politicians