Dato' Sri Saifuddin bin Abdullah (Jawi: سيف الدين بن عبدالله; born 27 January 1961) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Indera Mahkota since May 2018. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the second term in the Barisan Nasional (PN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from August 2021 to the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 and the first term in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from July 2018 to the collapse of the PN administration in February 2020, the Minister of Communications and Multimedia in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration under former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin from March 2020 to the collapse of the PN administration in August 2021, Deputy Minister of Higher Education II and Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur and Co-operatives Development in the BN administration under former Prime Ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak as well as former Ministers Noh Omar and Mohamed Khaled Nordin from March 2008 to May 2013 and MP for Temerloh from March 2008 to May 2013. He is also a member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), a component party of the PN coalition, was member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH coalition and was member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition. He is also the State Chairman of BERSATU and PN of Pahang.
Saifuddin Abdullah | |
|---|---|
سيف الدين عبدالله | |
 Saifuddin in September 2020 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 30 August 2021 – 24 November 2022 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Prime Minister | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
| Deputy | Kamarudin Jaffar |
| Preceded by | Hishammuddin Hussein |
| Succeeded by | Zambry Abdul Kadir |
| Constituency | Indera Mahkota |
| In office 2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020 | |
| Monarchs | Muhammad V (2018–2019) Abdullah (2019–2020) |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Deputy | Marzuki Yahya |
| Preceded by | Anifah Aman |
| Succeeded by | Hishammuddin Hussein |
| Constituency | Indera Mahkota |
| Minister of Communications and Multimedia | |
| In office 10 March 2020 – 16 August 2021 | |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Prime Minister | Muhyiddin Yassin |
| Deputy | Zahidi Zainul Abidin |
| Preceded by | Gobind Singh Deo |
| Succeeded by | Annuar Musa |
| Constituency | Indera Mahkota |
| Deputy Minister of Higher Education II | |
| In office 10 April 2009 – 15 May 2013 Serving with Hou Kok Chung | |
| Monarchs | Mizan Zainal Abidin Abdul Halim |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Minister | Mohamed Khaled Nordin |
| Preceded by | Idris Haron |
| Succeeded by | Mary Yap Kain Ching (Deputy Minister of Education) |
| Constituency | Temerloh |
| Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur and Co-operatives Development | |
| In office 19 March 2008 – 9 April 2009 | |
| Monarch | Mizan Zainal Abidin |
| Prime Minister | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi |
| Minister | Noh Omar |
| Preceded by | Khamsiyah Yeop |
| Succeeded by | Tan Lian Hoe as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism |
| Constituency | Temerloh |
| Chief Secretary of Pakatan Harapan | |
| In office 19 October 2015 – 24 February 2020 | |
| President | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail |
| Leader | Anwar Ibrahim |
| Chairman | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Saifuddin Nasution Ismail |
| Constituency | Indera Mahkota |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Indera Mahkota | |
| Assumed office 9 May 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Fauzi Abdul Rahman (PR–PKR) |
| Majority | 10,950 (2018) 8,399 (2022) |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Temerloh | |
| In office 8 March 2008 – 5 May 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Mohd Sarit Yusoh (BN–UMNO) |
| Succeeded by | Nasrudin Hassan (PR–PAS) |
| Majority | 2,441 (2008) |
| Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat | |
| 2008–2013 | Barisan Nasional |
| 2018–2020 | Pakatan Harapan |
| 2020 | Malaysian United Indigenous Party |
| 2020– | Perikatan Nasional |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Saifuddin bin Abdullah 27 January 1961 Kampung Sungai Ara, Mentakab, Pahang, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (–2015) People's Justice Party (PKR) (2015–2020) Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) (since 2020) |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) (–2015) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2015–2020) Perikatan Nasional (PN) (since 2020) |
| Spouse | Norlin Shamsul Bahri |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Malaya |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Website | www |
| Saifuddin Abdullah on Facebook Saifuddin Abdullah on Parliament of Malaysia | |
Personal life
editSaifuddin was born to an ustaz father and a schoolteacher mother in Temerloh near Mentakab, Pahang.[1]
Education
editSaifuddin was educated at Sekolah Kebangsaan Abu Bakar Mentakab (1968–73), Malay College Kuala Kangsar - MCKK (1974–80), obtained BA Honors from University of Malaya (1984), Diploma in Translation from Malaysian Translator Association / Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (1985) and followed by the Executive Course at Harvard Business School (1995).
Political career
editSaifuddin was elected to Parliament in the 2008 election,[2] and was immediately appointed as a deputy minister,[3] being cited as a future ministerial prospect.[4] He had previously been the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Youth Council.[5] After the election he was appointed as a deputy minister, and was the Deputy Minister of Higher Education in Najib Razak's first term as Prime Minister. During his ministerial tenure, Saifuddin was one of the more moderate and liberal-progressive politicians in Najib's administration.[6][7] He criticised his own government's handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally in 2011, in which over 1,600 protestors were arrested on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.[8] In early 2013, he also stood up for a student who was humiliated by a government-linked panellist at a student forum at the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM).[9]
Saifuddin's ministerial career was cut short by the 2013 election, when he lost his parliamentary seat to a Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) candidate by 1,070 votes.
Saifuddin has written four books on Malaysian politics.[10] After leaving Parliament he joined the University of Malaya as a research fellow, but in 2014, he resigned his position in protest when Malaysia's Education Ministry forced a well-respected professor at the university to resign, reportedly due to research findings critical of the government.[11][12]
In 2015, Saifuddin quit UMNO and joined the People's Justice Party (PKR) over disagreements with the government's handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.[13][14]
In the February 2020 political crisis dubbed "Sheraton Move", Saifuddin quit PKR along with deputy president Azmin Ali and 9 other MP's to form an independent parliamentary block.[15]
Health
editIn April 2021, he was tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted in the Sungai Buloh Hospital.[16] He was discharged from the hospital after his full recovery 16 days of treatments.[17]
Election results
edit| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | P088 Temerloh | Saifuddin Abdullah (UMNO) | 21,381 | 53.03% | Ahmad Nizam Hamid (PKR) | 18,940 | 46.97% | 41,463 | 2,441 | 76.77% | ||
| 2013 | Saifuddin Abdullah (UMNO) | 27,197 | 49.04% | Nasrudin Hassan (PAS) | 28,267 | 50.96% | 56,595 | 1,070 | 85.61% | |||
| 2018 | P082 Indera Mahkota | Saifuddin Abdullah (PKR) | 28,578 | 44.85% | Johan Mat Sah (UMNO) | 17,628 | 27.66% | 64,612 | 10,950 | 83.70% | ||
| Nasrudin Hassan (PAS) | 17,515 | 27.49% | ||||||||||
| 2022 | Saifuddin Abdullah (BERSATU) | 41,692 | 44.65% | Zuraidi Ismail (PKR) | 33,293 | 35.65% | 93,379 | 8,399 | 77.46% | |||
| Quek Tai Seong (MCA) | 16,530 | 17.70% | ||||||||||
| Mohamad Nor Sundari (PEJUANG) | 1,860 | 2.00% | ||||||||||
Honours
edit
Perak :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) – Dato' (2002)[23]
Pahang :
Knight Companion of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (DSAP) – Dato' (2009)[24][25]
Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2021)[26]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ Interview by Abdul Qayyum Jumadi; Photos by Lyn Ong. "Where I'm Coming From: Saifuddin Abdullah". POPfolio network : Poskod.MY. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Malaysia Decides 2008". The Star. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Khoo, Simon (25 March 2008). "Signs for Pahang to buck up". The Star. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Koshy, Shaila (8 January 2009). "Zaid: Future looks bright although Malaysia faces a lot of problems". The Star. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Ahmad, Abdul Razak (21 April 2000). "Matin tasked with monitoring religious activities". New Straits Times. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Chi, Melissa (23 May 2014). "10 things about Saifuddin Abdullah, moderation poster boy". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Ng, Eileen (5 May 2014). "After GE13, some relegated to political wilderness". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Teoh, Shannon (5 November 2011). "Umno deputy minister says Putrajaya will lose moral ground with UUCA appeal". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Netizens give "listen, listen" UUM speaker an earful". The Star. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ "Calling for a new breed of politicians". Malaysia Today. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Awani, Astro (30 June 2014). "Saifuddin quits UM post in solidarity with UMcedel director". Astro Awani. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Suganya, L. (29 June 2014). "Saifuddin quits as UM fellow in solidarity with dismissed Prof Redzuan". The Star. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Ng, Eileen (15 October 2015). "I left Umno over 1MDB, RM2.6 billion, says Saifuddin". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ "Saifuddin gives his reasons for leaving Umno". The Star. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ "Azmin quits PKR, takes 10 other MPs with him". Malaysiakini. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Saifuddin Abdullah tests positive for Covid-19". The Edge Markets. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Saifuddin tells of critical moments as a Covid-19 patient". Free Malaysia Today. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- ^ "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
- ^ "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "my undi : Kawasan & Calon-Calon PRU13 : Keputusan PRU13 (Archived copy)". www.myundi.com.my. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13". Utusan Malaysia. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ "DPMP 2002". pingat.perak.gov.my.
- ^ "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "1,114 to receive Pahang honours". The Star. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "Hamzah, Saifuddin dahului senarai penerima darjah, pingat Pahang". Malaysiakini. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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