Hamzah Zainuddin

Hamzah bin Zainudin (; born 12 March 1957) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 19th Leader of the Opposition since June 2026, having previously served in the position from December 2022 to his resignation in April 2026. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Larut since March 2008. He 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. In June 2026, Hamzah launched a new political party, Parti Wawasan Negara, and was re-appointed as Leader of the Opposition.

Early life and education Hamzah was born on 12 March 1957 in Perak, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia). He was a student at Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR). He received his Diploma in Quantity Surveying from University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) in 1975.

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.

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. He was previously a member of the Malaysian Senate.

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. He subsequently resigned from UMNO to join BERSATU in December 2018.

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.

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 on 13 February 2026 over party violations, alongside 16 other members including Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, triggering an internal crisis in BERSATU and takeover of the official Facebook page by alleged pro-Hamzah administrators.

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.

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.

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.

Personal life Hamzah was married to Noraini Abdul Rashid in 1981 before divorcing her in 1996 to marry his second wife, Nurasikin Abdul Ghani. |Year |Constituency

|Votes |Pct

|Votes |Pct |Ballots cast |Majority |Turnout 2008

| (UMNO)

53.20% | Mohd Dhari Othman (PAS)

46.80% 30,589 1,911 77.06%

| Mohd Fauzi Shaari (PAS)

42.92%

| Raveendran Vallikana (IND)

| Abu Husin Mohammad (PAS)

34.57%

| Khairil Anuar Akhiruddin (BERSATU)

19.53%

| Mohd Shafiq Fhadly Mahmud (UMNO)

32.29%

| Zolkarnian Abidin (AMANAH)

11.97%

Awzey Fazlan Sahidi (PEJUANG)

Honours Honours of Malaysia

Justice of the Peace (JP) (1996)