Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Biography
Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi is a Malaysian politician who has held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development since December 2022 (Jawi: ; born 4 January 1953). He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and since May 2018 he has led the UMNO and led the coalition of the Barisan Nasional (BN). Since April 1995, Zahid has served as the Bagan Datuk Member of Parliament (MP).
Born in Perak, Zahid completed his education and started a job in banking before going into politics. From March 2008 to May 2018, he held a number of ministerial positions under former prime ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak. In addition, he served as vice prime minister from July 2015 until May 2018. After the UMNO lost the 2018 election, Zahid was elected as the party’s new president. From July 2018 to March 2019, he held the role of 14th Leader of the Opposition. Under his direction, UMNO and BN triumphed in the 2021 Malacca state election and the 2022 Johor state election, but their performance in the 2022 federal election was the lowest in Malaysian history.
He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in December 2022 when BN and Pakatan Harapan formed a coalition government, making him the first person to hold this position twice, under two different administrations.
Throughout his career, Zahid has been the target of numerous inquiries and accusations of wrongdoing.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Early life
Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi, the oldest of the family’s nine children (seven sons and two daughters), was born on January 4, 1953, in Bagan Datuk, Perak. In Sungai Nipah Darat, Bagan Datoh, his mother Tuminah Abdul Jalil passed away on October 1, 2011, as a result of a stroke and heart issue. She had previously been treated at Kuala Lumpur’s Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital. His parents are Malaysians who were born in Indonesia.
When he was in elementary school, he worked with his foster family for six years selling ice cream. He was reared by a Chinese foster father named Chen Jin Ting. Being uneducated, Chen would pedal about three kilometers to sell ice cream from his home in Simpang Tiga, Hilir Perak. Guo Jin Luan, Chen’s foster mother, and Chen were wed. More than ten days after that year’s general election, in 1999, his father passed away. He was retorted by asking, “Am I anti-Chinese when I have a Chinese foster father?” to the claims that he was.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Age
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is how old? The age of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is 70. On January 4, 1953, he was born in Bagan Datuk, Malaysia.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Height
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s height in inches? The height of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is unknown.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Education and early career
Ahmad Zahid completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Malaya in 1976 before entering politics. Before working as a banker for OCBC, he obtained a Certificate in Banking from Bank Negara Malaysia. Later, between 1995 and 1998, he served as a director for both Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and Bank Simpanan Nasional. He worked as a marketing executive for Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), an executive director for Scandinavian Motors Sdn Bhd, the CEO of Kretam Holdings Berhad, and the chairman of Tekala Corporation Berhad, Seng Hup Berhad, and Ramatex Berhad during his corporate career.
He assumed leadership of Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) in 1999. At Universiti Putra Malaysia, he earned his PhD in Communication in 2008 after working on his thesis for seven years.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Political career
Political secretary and UMNO Youth Chief
Najib Razak appointed Zahid as his political secretary in 1986 during the latter’s tenures as Minister of Youth (1986–1990) and Minister of Defense (1990–1955).
In 1996, he won the position of UMNO Youth Chief. He once served as the vice chief for the state of Perak’s UMNO youth, the head of the organization’s communication, and the branch chairman for the UMNO youth in Bagan Datoh.
Election to Parliament and UMNO Supreme Council
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was elected to the parliament in 1995 after winning the Perak parliamentary seat of Bagan Datoh.
In the general elections of 1999, Zahid was re-elected as the representative for Bagan Datoh in the state of Perak. The next year, he won a seat in the UMNO Supreme Council.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Ministerial career
Former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi named Zahid as Deputy Tourism Minister after he won the seat a third time in the 2004 general elections. He pursued a Doctor of Philosophy degree at UPM while serving as a deputy minister; his dissertation was titled Barisan Nasional Manifesto As Agenda for Malay Language Newspaper During the General Election Campaign.
In the 2008 political tsunami, Zahid once more held onto his Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat despite the defeat of many BN party stalwarts. In the Prime Minister’s Department, he was later made a full Minister. Prime Minister Najib Razak named Zahid to the position of Minister of Defense after the April 2009 cabinet change.
Despite a smaller majority, he was able to keep his Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat after the 2013 election. In 2013, he was appointed Minister of Home Affairs, taking over for Hishamuddin Hussein, who had been Zahid’s Ministry of Defense predecessor.
He was chosen as the nation’s 11th Deputy Prime Minister after a cabinet shuffle in July 2015.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi UMNO President
Zahid won more votes than his competitors Khairy Jamaluddin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the 2018 UMNO leadership election, becoming the new leader of the organization and the first Leader of the Opposition from the BN coalition.
On December 18, 2018, Zahid finally makes his decision to temporarily resign from his position as party president and take a leave of absence after weeks of increasing pressure to do so and calls for new party elections. Mohamad Hasan, his assistant, took assumed the role of the party’s leader. He declared on June 30, 2019, that he would be returning from “garden leave” to his job as UMNO President.
He guided the party to its worst performance in Malaysian electoral history in the 2022 election, with only 26 of 222 seats held by the party (BN won 30 seats).Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Mahdzir Khalid, Azeez Rahim, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, and Khairy Jamaluddin were among the prominent names who lost to either PN or PH candidates. UMNO/BN lost all of its seats in Perlis and suffered defeats in a number of state elections held in Pahang and Perak. With a small majority, Zahid was re-elected. He was under internal pressure to step down as the UMNO President after the election loss.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Controversies and issues
Legal suits
Businessman Amir Bazli Abdullah has filed a lawsuit against Ahmad Zahid for allegedly striking him in the face on January 16, 2006, at the Country Heights recreation center in Kajang, Selangor, resulting in the latter’s fractured nasal bone and swollen left eye. Six years of civil court proceedings were spent on the case until an out-of-court settlement was reached.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Controversial statements
He stated that Malaysians who are dissatisfied with the nation’s political system and detest the BN government should “get lost” from the country shortly after the Black 505 rallies that were held following the 13th Malaysian General Election in response to allegations of electoral fraud and vote manipulation. His political future in a country that is multiracial is seriously questioned as a result of this speech, which has caused unrest among the populace.
The declaration was issued following a number of street protests staged by opposition parties who had refused to recognize the outcomes of the 13th general election in Malaysia. His first move as home minister was to launch a crackdown on opposition figures and dissent, which brought him even more controversy by attempting to silence the voices of opposition parties through the application of sedition laws.
Zahid was seen on camera supporting the police policy of “shoot to kill” while apprehending violent criminals, particularly by supporting a particular band of thugs.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Corruption charges
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained Zahid on October 18, 2018, and the next day, he was accused in court 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) in Yayasan Akalbudi monies. He was accused with a second CBT offense involving RM10 million on December 14. On February 20th, 2019, Zahid was once more charged with an RM260,000 CBT charge.
In connection with S$4.2 million (RM12.8 million), which he is alleged to have received from a company operating the foreign visa (VLN) system while serving as the Home Minister at the time, Zahid became the target of seven additional corruption allegations on June 26, 2019. He was indicted on 33 further offenses involving the VLN system from two years prior, totaling RM42.76 million, the following day. The most recent charges raised the overall number of unpaid charges to 87.
Zahid has been given until January 24, 2022, to present his defense in relation to all 47 allegations of money laundering, corruption, and criminal breach of trust (CBT).
Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin provided more information on February 17, 2022, relating his assertions that Ahmad Zahid requested his assistance in legal matters. A few days after becoming prime minister, according to Muhyiddin, Zahid paid him a visit with a stack of documents. He claimed he refrained from interfering in the legal proceedings involving Zahid and Najib Razak, which enraged them and led to attempts to topple the government.
Prior to Zahid becoming prime minister in 2018, Mahathir Mohamad claimed to have met with him on February 23, 2022. According to Mahathir, Zahid went to his house with three other people and made an effort to be cordial with him in order to avoid being charged with misconduct while Umno was in power.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Acquittal
The Malaysian High Court cleared Zahid on September 23, 2022, of seven allegations of allegedly accepting bribes while serving as home minister from 2013 to 2018 and 40 charges of bribery related to a visa system. However, he continued to be accused of misusing Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Personal life
He has five kids with his wife Hamidah Khamis. He is conversant in Javanese, regional Perak Malay, and Standard Malay. He converses in Mandarin and English with a Mancunian accent.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Parents
Who are Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s parents? Raden Hamidi Abdul Fatah and Tuminah Abdul Jalil gave birth to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. His mother Tuminah passed away due to a heart condition and a stroke.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Wife
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has a wife? Yes, Hamidah Khamis and Ahmad Zahid are wed.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Siblings
Ahmad Zahid is the oldest of nine children, making him the brother of six brothers and the sister of two.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Children
Has Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ever had kids? Five of Ahmad Zahid’s children. Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid is among them.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Instagram
Hamidi, Ahmad Zahid Instagram has almost 171k gram followers. @ahmadzahidhamidi is his handle.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is $5 million.
