Shahrir bin Abdul Samad (
Jawi: شهریار بن عبدالصمد; born 22 November 1949) 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 who was the
Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (2008-2009), a
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 ...
of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and the former chairman of the
Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club
Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club ( ms, Kelab Ahli Penyokong Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BNBBC) is composed of the BN backbencher MPs. The term " backbencher" originates from the British Parliament, denoting an MP ...
(BNBBC). He is 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), the largest political component party in the former ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. In Parliament – specifically the lower house of
Parliament of Malaysia
The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, Literal translation, lit. "People's A ...
, the ''
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat (English: 'House of Representatives'; ) is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Ra ...
'' – he represented the constituency of
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...
in the state of
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...
for six non-consecutive terms. (1978-1990, 2004–2018).
Khalid Abdul Samad
Khalid bin Abdul Samad ( Jawi: خالد بن عبدالصمد; born 14 August 1957) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Federal Territories in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir M ...
, the former Member of Parliament for
Shah Alam
Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in ...
, Selangor from the
National Trust Party (Amanah) of
Pakatan Harapan
The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the r ...
(PH) coalition; is the younger brother of Shahrir.
He was appointed as the chairman of
Federal Land Development Authority
The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda; ms, Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan. LKTP) is a Malaysian government agency that was founded to handle the resettlement of rural poor into newly developed areas (''colonies'', ''settlements'' ...
(FELDA) from 1 January 2017 to 14 May 2018.
Early life and career
Shahrir was born in
Kuantan
Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Penin ...
, Pahang, and attended local primary schools. He later attended the
Malay College Kuala Kangsar
The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; ; ) is a premier residential school in Malaysia. It is an elite all-boys and all- Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the Eton College of the East".
...
(MCKK) for his secondary education. He went on to gain an economics degree from the
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...
in Statistics, and a
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from the
International Institute for Management Development
International Institute for Management Development (IMD) is a private business school in Lausanne, Switzerland specializes in executive education offering open enrollment programs for senior executives, as well as longer-term educational engage ...
in
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
, Switzerland.
In 1973 he became the youngest political secretary in the country when he became political secretary to
Musa Hitam
Tun Musa bin Hitam ( Jawi: موسى بن هيتم; born 18 April 1934) is a Malaysian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 1986, serving under Mahathir Mohamad. He was the chairman of Sime Darby Berhad.
Early life ...
, later
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
. After his tenure expired in 1975, he became political secretary to Prime Minister
Tun Abdul Razak
Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Dato' Hussein ( ms, عبد الرزاق بن حسين, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 11 March 1922 – 14 January 1976) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia f ...
till 1976. Shahrir first ran for public office in the
1978 general election, when he won the Parliamentary seat of
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...
. He was initially appointed Deputy Minister, of Trade and Industry, but later became Minister of Welfare, Youth and Sports, and in 1987 took up the post of Federal Territory Minister. He also served as political secretary to Prime Minister
Tun Hussein Onn
Tun Hussein bin Dato' Onn ( ms, حسين بن عون, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 12 February 1922 – 29 May 1990) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia from the death of his predece ...
from 1983 to 1986.
Shahrir was sacked that year in the events leading up to the
1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis and
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah ( Jawi: تڠکو غزالي بن تڠکو محمد حمزة; born 13 April 1937) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gua Musang from August 1986 to November ...
's challenge to Prime Minister and UMNO President
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 ...
. In 1988, Shahrir resigned from his Parliamentary seat, and ran for re-election in the resulting by-election as an independent. A year later, he rejoined UMNO, while Razaleigh went on to form
Parti Melayu Semangat 46
The Parti Melayu Semangat 46 or ''Spirit of 46 Malay Party (S46)'' is a now defunct Malaysian political party. The party was formed in 1988, and dissolved in 1996. It was formed by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's "Team B" faction of the United Malays ...
(S46).
He subsequently was dropped as UMNO candidate in the
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
and
1999 general elections.
Later political career
In
2004, he returned to run for 11th general election in Johor Bahru on a BN-UMNO ticket, and won. He later claimed that then Prime Minister
Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had offered him a post in the Cabinet, but declined, citing the large number of qualified MPs.
Instead, he went on to chair the Public Accounts Committee in the ''
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat (English: 'House of Representatives'; ) is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Ra ...
''.
He was link to the
Generasi Profesional dan Pewaris Bangsa (PROWARIS), an NGO attempted to raise a third voice in order to influence the UMNO party; which was more incline to the ex-prime minister Tun Dr.
Mahathir Mohamed
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 ...
.
2006 controversy
On 4 May 2006, Shahrir announced his resignation as chairman of the
Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club
Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club ( ms, Kelab Ahli Penyokong Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BNBBC) is composed of the BN backbencher MPs. The term " backbencher" originates from the British Parliament, denoting an MP ...
(BNBBC). Earlier that day, Parliament had been discussing the issue of a member of parliament (MP) who allegedly asked the
Melaka
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...
Customs and Excise Department to "close one eye" to an illegal import shipment of timber.
Lim Kit Siang
Lim Kit Siang (; born 20 February 1941) is a Malaysian politician. He is the longest-serving leader of the opposition in Malaysia, having held the position for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions. He is also former Secretary-Genera ...
of the
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party (abbreviation: DAP; ms, Parti Tindakan Demokratik; ; ta, ஜனநாயக செயல் கட்சி) is a Centre-left politics, centre-left social democracy, social democratic political party in Malaysia. ...
(DAP) and the
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 ...
moved a motion to refer the MP in question to the ''
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat (English: 'House of Representatives'; ) is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Ra ...
'' House Committee of Rights and Privileges. Several BN MPs quickly voiced their disagreement with the motion, but Shahrir – according to one source – "shocked the House" when he stood and spoke in favour of the motion in order "to maintain the integrity of parliamentarians and Parliament". The motion was eventually rejected – in line with the BN policy of not supporting motions moved by the opposition – by the House. Shahrir walked out of the House and held a press conference in the Parliament lobby, telling reporters that "Even though it was an Opposition motion, we should support it for its importance to MPs and the House." He then announced his resignation as the Chairman of the BNBBC. The Deputy chairman,
Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar, later told reporters he would attempt to persuade Shahrir to stay on.
After an emergency meeting, the BNBBC also announced they would ask Shahrir to stay on. In the meantime, the MP for
Jasin,
Mohammad Said Yusof
Datuk Mohammad Said bin Yusof (born 15 September 1959) was a member of the Malaysian Parliament in the lower house of the '' Dewan Rakyat'', representing the constituency of Jasin in the state of Malacca. He is a member of the United Malays N ...
, said he was the MP implicated in the matter. However, he insisted he had only asked for leniency on the grounds that the timber had been found to be illegal due to a technicality. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Parliamentary Affairs,
Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, said that "It is not that we disagree with Shahrir but it's an opposition motion and we usually reject their motions." He also told the press that the House Rights and Privileges Committee could not have an unnamed MP referred to it on the basis of a newspaper report. Nazri said that the Customs chief would have to complain to the
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
and name the MP in question.
Later that week, Shahrir met with then
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and BN
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes.
United Kingdom
...
,
Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak to officially submit his resignation. While Najib accepted it, it was not immediately clear if he would initiate disciplinary action against Shahrir for breaking ranks with the party. Shahrir initially insisted that "This is not a party matter," but later told the press that he resigned "as I had breached the party's directive against supporting an Opposition motion."
Later, several backbenchers demanded that Shahrir's resignation be rescinded. The BNBBC secretary,
Rosli Mat Hassan (MP for
Dungun
Dungun is a coastal district of the Malaysian state of Terengganu. Kuala Dungun is the capital of the district. Dungun is made up of eleven 'mukim', or subdistricts: Abang, Besol, Jengai, Jerangau, Kuala Dungun, Kuala Paka, Kumpal, Pasir Raja, Ras ...
) issued a statement on the behalf of other backbenchers where he declared, "the unwritten rule that presently
akesit mandatory for BN MPs to oppose any opposition motion regardless of merit
unscounter to basic parliamentary practice and
nfringeson the duties of MPs". It was reported that
Zaid Ibrahim
Dato' Mohd Zaid bin Ibrahim ( Jawi: محمد زيد بن إبراهيم; born 10 April 1951) is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform (March 2008-September ...
, MP for
Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mouth of the Kelantan River.
The ...
, was now leading a campaign to re-elect Shahrir as the BNBBC chairman. Shahrir's supporters said that it was their right to decide who led them, and implied that this was not Najib's prerogative. At the same time, the BNBBC's official position on the issue was that Shahrir had procedurally erred in supporting the motion, as the matter was beyond the purview of the Committee in question, which exists only to prevent a breach or abuse of Parliamentary privileges. A spokesperson also said that "The current procedure now is MPs must give a written notice to the Speaker, and only when the Speaker is satisfied, can the House decide whether the matter should be referred to the committee. ... In this episode, it was all done in a blink of an eye." Shahrir later reversed himself, saying "I made a mistake in regard to the parliamentary procedure involved. However, based on the political model, there was no mistake."
The following day, the then Prime Minister
Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi issued an official directive on the matter, affirming that MPs could only vote along party lines. Zaid and most of the other backbenchers who had backed further autonomy told the press they accepted the decision. However, Rosli clashed with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Deputy Chief Whip
Nazri Aziz
Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz ( Jawi: محمد نظري بن عبدالعزيز; born 15 May 1954) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge ...
, who said that "The Whip is only relaxed when it is lifted by the chief or the deputy chief Whip." Rosli said "...in the absence of his
he Chief Whip'sdirection, the general rule is to that MPs are to vote according to their conscience..." Although many backbenchers said they considered Shahrir the BNBBC chairman, Abdullah said that the government had planned to sack Shahrir, "But before we could do that he resigned, and we respect his decision."
Ministership 2008–2009
In 2008, following the
12th general election which saw BN's majority significantly slashed, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appointed Shahrir as Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister. In the 2009 UMNO General Assembly, Shahrir lost his bid for a place in the Supreme Council and consequently resigned from the Cabinet.
Election results
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
* :
**
![Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_PSM](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_PSM.svg)
Commander of the
Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign.
The order was instituted ...
(PSM) – Tan Sri (2012)
* :
**
![MY-FED Darjah Mahkota Wilayah - Grand Knight - SUMW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/MY-FED_Darjah_Mahkota_Wilayah_-_Grand_Knight_-_SUMW.svg)
Grand Knight of the
Order of the Territorial Crown
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
(SUMW) – Datuk Seri Utama (2010)
* :
**
![Sultan_Ibrahim_Coronation_Medal_ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Sultan_Ibrahim_Coronation_Medal_ribbon.gif)
Recipient of the
Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS) (1979)
**
![Most_Honourable_Order_of_the_Crown_of_Johor_-_ribbon_bar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Most_Honourable_Order_of_the_Crown_of_Johor_-_ribbon_bar.png)
Knight Commander of the
Order of the Crown of Johor
The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor ( Malay: ''Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an Order of chivalry awarded by the Sultan of Johor. It was first instituted on July 31, 1886.
It is awarded in three classes:
*Knight Grand Co ...
(DPMJ) – Dato' (1980)
Notes and references
Other references
*Samad, Shahrir Abdul (2005)
"shahrir-umno" Retrieved 29 October 2005.
External links
Official websiteUMNO Bhg Johor Bahru
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samad, Shahrir Abdul
1949 births
Living people
People from Pahang
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian Muslims
United Malays National Organisation politicians
Independent politicians in Malaysia
Members of the Dewan Rakyat
Government ministers of Malaysia
University of Malaya alumni
Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
Knights Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor
21st-century Malaysian politicians