Hamzah bin Zainudin

Hamzah bin Zainudin (born 12 March 1957) is a Malaysian politician currently serving as the 17th Leader of the Opposition since December 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Larut since March 2008. He held the position of Minister of Home Affairs twice, first under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration (March 2020 – August 2021) and then under the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration (August 2021 – November 2022). Prior to this, he served as 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 within the BN administration (March 2008 – May 2018). He was also a senator from September 2000 to September 2006. Hamzah is a member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) and holds positions as Deputy Chairman of PN (since December 2024) and Deputy President of BERSATU (since November 2024). He previously served as the Secretary-General of PN (March 2020 – December 2024) and BERSATU (March 2020 – November 2024). Earlier in his political career, he was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) before joining BERSATU in December 2018. Born in Perak, Federation of Malaya, Hamzah attended Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR) and earned a Diploma in Quantity Surveying from University of Technology Malaysia in 1975. His early career included serving as General Manager with Maju Bangun Sdn Bhd (1980–1987) and as a board member for Ipoh City Council (1987–1993) and Stadium Merdeka Corporation (1991–1997). He also ventured into private business in 1989 and held various chairman and deputy chairman roles, including chairman of FELCRA Berhad.