Dato' Pathmanaban a/l Kunjamboo or K. Pathmanaban (Tamil: கே. பத்மனாபன், romanized: Ē. Puttānaṉpaṉ) is a former Malaysian deputy minister, vice-president of Malaysian Indian Congress and founder of Melaka Manipal Medical College.

Born in Bukit Bertam Estate, Linggi, Negeri Sembilan, he obtained his Master of Arts in Public Administration in Economic Development from Harvard University.

He was among the first batch of Bachelor of Arts graduates majoring in Economics from the University of Malaya in Singapore in 1959. Before venturing into politics, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Labour and Manpower Ministry from 1960 and Director of Social Economics in the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister's Department from 1968 until his resignation to contest the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat in 1974.

Pathmanaban was initially encouraged to join the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and enter politics by Tun Abdul Razak, who saw his potential and his education from a prestigious university as invaluable. He was inducted by the then president of MIC, Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, as part of his process of infusing new blood into the party, especially those who are young, well-educated and could contribute to the party.

He served as Teluk Kemang Member of Parliament for four terms. Prior to that, he joined the Malaysian Indian Congress in 1974 and the following year was a member of the MIC Central Working Committee. Pathmanaban served as MIC vice-president for three terms from 1979 until his retirement from active politics in 1991.

Pathmanaban actively fought for the rights of Malaysian Indians, especially in the field of education. He realised the importance education could bring about in uplifting the Indian community.

He headed the MIC's Education Bureau and used to collect information on all students rejected by government universities. Pathmanaban used to lead MIC delegations to visit every vice-chancellor to give more places to Malaysian Indian students who had just missed the cut-off point. In fact, the Malaysian Chinese Association used to be jealous of the MIC in having this special privilege.[1]

The former MIC vice-president was Deputy Labour and Manpower Minister for five years from 1976. Pathmanaban was Deputy Health Minister for seven years from 1981. He last served in the government as Deputy Human Resources Minister from June 1989 to October 1990.

His retirement from politics was apparently due to differences with MIC president, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Following his retirement, Pathmanaban was active in social service. He felt there was nothing greater than helping a fellow man. He actively sought ways to help the poor and disadvantaged Indian community in Malaysia.

He also served as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) following the setting up of the commission until his demise.

Pathmanaban was the founding chairman of Melaka Manipal Medical College. He was instrumental in getting both the Prime Ministers and governments of Malaysia and India to give their nod for his pet project which offers a twinning medical programme between both countries. His main purpose of setting up the medical college was to provide high quality medical education opportunities to Malaysians at an affordable price, particularly for Malaysians of Indian ethnicity.

Datuk K. Pathmanaban died due to kidney and liver failure at the Pantai Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur at around 1am on 9 June 2001. He was just one day short of his 64th birthday.

His remains were cremated at the Hindu crematorium in Cheras and the ashes were taken to Port Dickson to be scattered in the sea according to Hindu rites.


Datuk Peter Anthony (born 24 February 1971) is a Malaysian politician, singer and businessman who has served as the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Melalap since May 2018. He served as State Minister of Infrastructure Development of Sabah in the Heritage Party (WARISAN) state administration under former Chief Minister Shafie Apdal from May 2018 to the collapse of the WARISAN administration in September 2020. He is also a founder of Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd, a construction company involved in Universiti Malaysia Sabah tender scandal in 2014. He is a founder and member of the Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM), a party that is aligned with the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition. He has also served as 1st and founding President of KDM since party foundation in January 2022. He was independent after leaving WARISAN on 28 December 2021 along with Limbahau MLA Juil Nuatim and before founding KDM on 28 January 2022. He was also the member and Vice President of WARISAN.[1] He founded KDM, also a native based party in Tenom, Sabah on 28 January 2022 along with Juil.


Rashid Maidin (10 October 1917 – 1 September 2006), sometimes given as Rashid Mahideen, was a senior leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).

He was born in Kampung Gunung Mesah, Gopeng, Perak; coincidentally on the same month and year as the October Revolution in the Russian Empire. He is the eldest brother of 7 brothers and 1 sister. He received his early education at the Gunung Panjang Malay School and the Kampung Gunung Mesah Madrasah, which were both in Gopeng. He graduated at standard 5 in a Malay school. However, due to poverty Rashid dropped out of school in 1929.

After leaving school, Rashid travelled and sought employment, ending up in Cameron Highlands, Pahang. While working odd jobs there, he befriended a Christian missionary who taught him to speak basic English. He furthered his proficiency in the language via correspondence courses. Later, Rashid returned to Gopeng and worked at a French-owned power station. While employed at the power station, he studied basic electrics and eventually obtained a first-class electrical chargeman certificate.

He started a family with  Hamidah binti Abdul Rashid, a village girl in 1938. They have 4 children, 3 sons and a daughter. The second marriage was in 1959, a comrade and a party cadet named Selamah binti Abdullah. They were gifted another daughter.[citation needed]

Rashid was also active in the trade unions, which led him to join the CPM as the party's first Malay member. In his memoir, Memoir Rashid Maidin: Daripada perjuangan bersenjata kepada perdamaian (The Memoirs of Rashid Maidin: From Armed Struggle to Peace), Rashid justified his decision to join the CPM due to the party's strong anti-imperialist stance. CPM was among the first anti-colonial movements in Malaya. Since young Rashid was inspired by the story of Maharajalela's war against the British in Perak. In 1939. he started to get involved in the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and in 1941, he officially became a member of MCP. He was the first Malay joining MCP.

In 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded and occupied Malaya. The MCP, of which Rashid by now was the party's top Malay leader, organised armed resistance via the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA). At the end of the Anti-Japanese war, he met Abdullah CD.

After the return of British rule, the CPM continued its armed insurrection, this time against the British colonial government, via its new militant wing, the Malayan National Libheration Army (MNLA). Rashid was entrusted by CPM leader Chin Peng to lead the MNLA's Malay-dominated 10th Regiment. In 1947, he was one of the representatives from CPM to attend a council communist party meeting in London. This meeting was participated by communist parties in the colonial country to discuss about the strategy to fight against colonialism for the right of independence. CPM's armed insurrection led the British to declare a state of emergency, which lasted between 1948 and 1960. in July 1948, he was caught by the British in Sungai Manik, Perak. He was put in jail for 3 and a half years. In the early 1952, he managed to free himself. After that in late 1952, Rashid met Abdullah CD in Pahang. Then in 1953, together with 10th Regiment, he retreated to the borders of Malaysia-Thailand. He was wounded on his leg during the battle against the British.

In 1955, the CPM attempted to negotiate peace with the colonial government. Rashid was a member of the CPM delegation at the talks, which were held at the town of Baling, Kedah. After the collapse of the Baling Talks, the CPM continued its insurrection. In between 1961 and 1972, he was assigned to lead the Special Unit of National Libriation Army in the borders of Kedah-Thailand. He returned and lead Rejimen the tenth till peace in 1972. However, due to government anti-insurrection measures, CPM's guerilla struggle gradually waned and eventually ended after a peace treaty was signed with the Malaysian government in Haadyai, Thailand in 1989. Rashid was again a CPM delegate to the peace treaty.

In January 2006, 500 former members of the Malayan Communist party were granted Thai citizenship.[1] In the past, Rashid had failed to acquire Malaysian citizenship, like many other ex-communists living in Southern Thailand.[2]

However, a stipulation in the treaty signed disallowed former senior CPM leaders from returning to Malaysia; hence, Rashid settled to a quiet, post-guerilla life in Southern Thailand. He died on 1 September 2006 in Si Sakhon, Narathiwat, and was buried after Friday prayers on the same day.


Rashidi bin Zinol is a Malaysian politician from UMNO. He has been the Member of Penang State Legislative Assembly for Sungai Acheh since August 2023 and the Member of Penang State Executive Council for Rural Development, Trade and Entrepreneurial Development.

Rashidi was appointed as a member of Penang State Executive Council, holding the portfolio of Rural Development, Trade and Entrepreneurial Development after the 2023 Penang state election.[1][2]


Rasinin bin Kautis is a Malaysian politician who has been the State Assistant Minister. He served as the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Liawan from May 2018 until September 2020. He is a member of the Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN).[1][2]


Ruslan bin Muharam (born 4 November 1963) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the State Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister of Sabah in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state administration under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor since January 2023 as well as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Lumadan since September 2020. He is a member of the United Sabah Party (PBS), a component party of the GRS and formerly Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions. He has also served as the Vice President of PBS since 2003 and Division Chief of PBS of Sipitang since 1999.[1][2]


Sairin bin Karno (born 3 June 1954) is a Malaysian politician from Sabah and member of Gagasan Rakyat Sabah. He was the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Liawan, Keningau from 2004 to 2018 and a former member of the Dewan Negara representing Sabah from 1993 to 1999.

He was also a former Sabah state Assistant Minister from 2008 to 2018 and former member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party of Sabah as well as the United Malays National Organisation of Sabah and United Sabah National Organisation parties.

He firstly worked as a teacher from 1976 to 1982. Besides that, he was also the Chairman of Sabah MNI Agency from 1984 to 1996, member of Board of Directors of FELCRA from 1992 to 1994, director of the People's Development Leaders Unit of Sabah from 1994 to 1996, deputy Executive Chairman of the Sabah National Integration Unit in 1996, member of the board of directors of Tabung Haji Malaysia and finally became the President of the Sabah Native Affairs Council from 1998 to 2004.

As of 2020, he is now the Chairman of the Sabah Islamic United Organization ever since he retired from politics, as a consequence of his recent defeat in the 2018 general elections.[1][2]

He started his political career in early 1980s and was a member of USNO. He joined UMNO after USNO was abolished. He was the Sabah Assistant Minister of Rural Development from 2008 to 2013, and Sabah Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry from 2013 to 2018.[3][4] He quitted UMNO and joined BERSATU in 2019.[5]


Tun Pehin Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Muhammad Salahuddin bin Abang Barieng (né Louis anak Barieng; Jawi: ابڠ محمد صلاح الدين بن ابڠ باريئڠ; 27 August 1921 – 28 January 2022) was a Malaysian politician who served as the third Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak from 1977 to 1981, and as the sixth Yang di-Pertua Negeri from 2001 to 2014. He was the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri to hold the post twice, as well as the oldest elected to the office.[1][2]

Born in 1921 at Kampung Nangka, Sibu, Raj of Sarawak (present-day Sarawak, Malaysia) Abang Muhammad Salahuddin, or Abang Louis, was the only son of Abang Barieng Abang Anyut, a well-known figure in the Third Division (present-day Sibu Division), who had a bloodline with famous state leader Temenggung Jugah Barieng. Abang Louis later changed his name to his Islam one after his conversion.

After the Japanese occupation, he worked as Municipal Inspector until 1947 under the new British colonial administration. He continued in the public service under the National Registration Department and the Public Works Department.

Salahuddin was active in state politics, helping to form Barisan Pemuda Sarawak (BPS) and Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak (BARJASA). He acted as representative of the Melanau community to the Cobbold Commission during the years preceding the formation of Malaysia.

In 1963, he contested and won a seat in the state elections. He resigned in 1968 and returned to public service and eventually became Chairman of the State Public Service Commission.

In 1977, he was installed as the third Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak and served for his first term. In 2000, he became the acting Yang di-Pertua Negeri while his successor Ahmad Zaidi Adruce was ill.[3] Ahmad Zaidi died in December 2000, and Abang Muhammad Salahuddin was reappointed permanently to the governorship in February 2001, and his term officially ended on 28 February 2014.[4]

Salahuddin died at the Normah Sarawak Medical Centre in Petra Jaya, on 28 January 2022, at the age of 100.[5][6] He was buried at the Samariang Muslim Cemetery in Kuching.[7]


Samsudin bin Osman (born 3 March 1947)[1] is a Malaysian former public servant who served the Malaysian Government from 1969 to 2006. His last office in the public service was Chief Secretary to the Government from 1 February 2001 to 2 September 2006. He is currently the President of the International Islamic University Malaysia, and Former Chairman of the Employees Provident Fund.

Prior to being Chief Secretary, Samsudin was the secretary-general for the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs from 1994 and the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1996.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Malaya and Master of Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University. He is also a former student of the renowned English College Johore Bahru and Royal Military College, Sungai Besi.


Sarifuddin bin Hata is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Merotai since May 2018. He served as the State Assistant Minister of Finance of Sabah in the Heritage Party (WARISAN) state administration under former Chief Minister and former Minister Shafie Apdal from May 2018 to the collapse of the WARSIAN state administration in September 2020. He is a member of WARISAN.[1]


Sedomon Gunsanad Kina MBE (1894-1966) was a native chief of Keningau, in North Borneo, who later became a politician in unified Malaysia.
He was the son of Gunsanad Kina and the older brother of G.S Sundang.

Succeeded his father as clan leader and district chief of the interior of Sabah from 1936 until his death in 1966. As a district chief, he acted as a judge in social and legal disputes. He established the Native Administration Centre in Bingkor under the Chartered Company before World War II. His home, the Rumah Besar, was one of the grandest abodes in Keningau. It was used as the headquarters of the Japanese military during the Japanese occupation of Sabah in WW II

In 1962, Sedomon established the United National Pasok Momogon Organisation which he led with his brother Sundang. (Pasok Momogon means 'people of the country) The party controlled the vast majority of the interior area of Sabah. He was also a fine businessman who dealt in agricultural products like rubber, padi, cinnamon, horses, pigs, cows, and tobacco. Was conferred the title of Johan Mangku Negara, and made member of the Order of the British Empire.

Sedomon was given the title of Orang Kaya-kaya (O.K.K) after the passing away of his father, who was the previous Paramount Chief of the Interior and O.K.K for North Borneo. Sedomon served as O.K.K. from 1936 until his death in 1966.

Sedomon gained administrative experience in Bingkor while working under D.J. Jardine, the governor of the British North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBCC).[1]

In 1936, OKK Sedomon heads the alliance of villages in Bingkor and has the authority to administer the Centre of Indigenous Administration (Pusat Pentadbiran Pribumi) in Bingkor.[1] As a district native chief, Sedomon amicably settled disputes among villagers in Keningau according to native customary law.

Inscriptions on the Batu Sumpah Keningau partly detail Sedomon's ideas.[2]

In his capacity as Paramount Chief of the Interior, Sedomon asked the British to declare a three-days festival, later known as the Kaamatan. Although an ethnic Dusun (but he was also of mixed Murut blood), Sedomon's intention was for Kaamatan to be a day for all Sabah natives.[3] However, the British acceded only when Donald Stephens also made the request.[citation needed]

Together with his younger brother, Sedomon was instrumental in forming and sustaining the North Borneo movement against the formation of Malaysia. The brothers founded the United Pasok Momogun Party (UPMP), a splinter party from United National Kadazan Organisation (UNKO) to protest the party's choice of supporting the formation of Malaysia. One of the points of contention was the grouping of two distinct tribes of Dusun and Murut into a single label of ‘Kadazan’. The party was registered in January 1962, but despite being a multi-ethnic party with diverse representatives, UPMP's influence seemed limited to a few locations such as in Keningau, Tenom, Membakut and Kinabatangan.[1]

Despite taking an anti-formation stand, there was very little opposition directed to the British colonial administrators or the Malayan government. While some interpret UPMP formation only as a direct challenge to UNKO vying for influence, UPMP maintained the anti-Malaysia position throughout the Cobbold Commission enquiry from January to April 1962,[1] and the submission of the 20-point agreement to the Lansdowne Committee in August 1962 incorporated Sedomon's ideas on freedom of religion, immigration, and on issues relating to land, forest, and local government.[4] Sedomon also presented his ideas to Tun Abdul Razak during a meeting at the Rumah Besar mansion. Tun Razak was quick to consider the practicalities of Sedomon's requests when he acknowledged that  “If that is the case, people from the Peninsula would require a passport to enter Sabah”.[5]

UPMP's resistance had also began to weaken with internal differences and waning influence, especially when only 200 party members attended the party convention in September 1962 in Jesselton. The submission of a petition on 9 September 1962 to the United Nations to oppose the formation of Malaysia was done by G.S. Sundang together with Ong Kee Hui for Sarawak and A.M. Azahari for Brunei, although this had no impact and was later withdrawn by Sundang by 27 October 1962.[1]

In November 1962, the North Borneo delegation was taken on a two-week trip throughout Malaya, at the beginning of which Sedomon said it was important for them to understand the concept of Malaysia, as many party members did not understand and "we are still undecided on Malaysia".[6] He was able to visit the rural development schemes in the peninsula, which greatly impressed him.[7]

In 2016, Sedomon was posthumously conferred Sabah's highest award, Seri Panglima Darjah Kinabalu (SPDK), which carries the title “Datuk Seri Panglima”.

Sedomon was recognised for his achievements and contributions in British North Borneo and awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 June 1961.


See Chee How (Chinese: 施志豪; pinyin: Shī zhìháo), is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Batu Lintang since April 2011. He is presently an independent.[1] He was a member of the opposition Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition.[2] He also served as State Vice Chairman of PKR of Sarawak before his sacking from the party.

Between August 2018 and February 2020, See served as special officer representing Minister of Works of Malaysia, Baru Bian, in Sarawak on a pro bono basis.[3]

See was sacked from PKR in mid-April 2020 having been alleged to have supported the camp belonging to former party deputy president, Mohamed Azmin Ali, in the events leading up to the 2020 Malaysian constitutional crisis.[4]

On 29 May 2020, president of United Sarawak Party (PSB), Wong Soon Koh, announced that See has been accepted as a member of PSB.[5][6] See's addition to PSB comes as over 20 other former PKR members, either sacked or having resigned from the party, also received their acceptance into PSB.[7][8]

On 14 August 2022, Speaker of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar announced that See had informed him about leaving PSB two days prior on 12 August 2022 without adding reasons. This left PSB only three MLAs and the Opposition five in addition with another two from PH. His seating in the state assembly was also rearranged and moved away from the opposition seats.


Sheikh Mohmed Puzi bin Sheikh Ali (born 27 April) is a Malaysian politician. He is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the seat of Pekan of Pahang since November 2022. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) a component party of the ruling BN coalition.[1]

He is the first MP from Pekan since 1982 not from the Razak family, as Najib Razak (1976-1982 and 1986–2022) and his father Abdul Razak Hussein (1959-1976) has hold the seat for six decades.[2]


Shah Zanuriman bin Nuar Paras Khan (Jawi: شه زانوريمن نوار ڤارس خن, Malay pronunciation: [shah zanuriman]; born 19 December 1984) is a Malaysian politician. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the BN coalition. He is currently a Member of the Executive Committee (EXCO) of UMNO Youth and Selangor UMNO Youth Secretary since March 2023, as well as the Youth Division Chief of UMNO Selayang since March 2018.[1]

Shah first served as Youth Division Chief of UMNO Selayang in 2018 when he won the post after another candidate pull out of the competition at the very last minute.[citation needed] He won his second term as Youth Division Chief of UMNO Selayang on a landslide win in 2023 UMNO leadership elections.[citation needed] He then later won the UMNO Youth post election during the 2023 United Malays National Organisation leadership election coming in 4th place out of 113 candidates with 17,021 votes.[2] He then was appointed as Selangor UMNO Youth Secretary under Selangor UMNO Youth Chief, Dato Mohd Imran Tamrin.[citation needed]


Shamsiah Fakeh (1924 – 20 October 2008) was a Malaysian nationalist and feminist. She was the leader of Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS), Malaysia's first nationalist women organisation and a prominent Malay leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). She was the grandmother of Jamaliah Jamaluddin, Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) and Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Bandar Utama.

Shamsiah was born in the village of Kampung Gemuruh near the town of Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. She had her early education in the Madrasah Aliah Islaiah (also known as the Islamic High School) in Pelangai, Negeri Sembilan[1] and was later sent to the Madrasah Tuddimiah in Padang Panjang, Sumatera in what was then the Dutch East Indies.[2] It was during this time that she came under the influence of Lebai Maadah, an influential scholar and Islamic reformer.[3]

Shamsiah was married five times from the age of 17. Her first husband, Yasin Kina, abandoned her while she was pregnant with their second child and both children died in their infancy. Her second husband, J. M. Rusdi, was eventually discovered to be an informer for the Japanese forces then occupying Malaya.

She was also briefly married to Ahmad Boestamam, the leader of PKMM's youth wing, Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (Awakened Youth Organisation; API). In her memoirs, she claimed that her marriage with Boestamam broke down due to her disagreement with the latter's decision to pay a fine to avoid a jail sentence for publishing a book deemed seditious by government in 1947.[1] Notably the marriage was never mentioned in any of Boestamam's memoirs and writings.

Her fourth husband, Wahi Annuar, was a fellow CPM member who was captured by British and imprisoned. Shamsiah was told that he had surrendered and thought he was dead. He was, in fact, imprisoned for 15 years and eventually died in 1980.

Her final marriage was to another CPM member, Ibrahim Mohamad, in 1956. They remained married until his death in 2006.[4]

As a fiery orator, Shamsiah was scouted by both the United Malays National Organisation and the Malay Nationalist Party (Malay: Partai Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya, PKMM), the main Malay political parties in the post-war period. She eventually chose to join PKMM because she believed it was more dedicated to the struggle for Malaya's independence whereas she considered UMNO a puppet of the British.[1] In 1946, she was asked to lead PKMM's women's wing, Angkatan Wanita Sedar (Cohort of Awakened Women; AWAS).

With the banning of the PKMM, API and AWAS in 1948 prior to the declaration of the Malayan Emergency followed by the mass arrests of left leaning Malay nationalists, Shamsiah retreated to the jungles and joined the predominantly Malay 10th Regiment of the Malayan People's Liberation Army of the CPM operating from Lubok Kawah near Temerloh, Pahang. When the 10th Regiment was forced to retreat together with the 11th and 12th Regiment to the Thai-Malaya border in 1953 after a series of military defeats beginning with the Battle of Padang Piul in 1949, Shamsiah joined the retreat and continued to fight as a guerilla until she was sent to the China for further education together with her husband, Ibrahim Mohamad, in 1956.[1]

The couple remained in China and served as broadcasters with Radio Peking's Malay language service airing propaganda broadcasts via shortwave to Malaya. In 1965, they were assigned by the party to Indonesia to set up a legation office of the Malayan National Liberation League. Their stint was, however, short lived as they were arrested later that year due to the anti-communist purges in Indonesia in the aftermath of the 30 September Movement. They remained imprisoned until 1967 when they obtained their freedom through the mediation of the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and obtained passage via Vietnam back to China.[1]

As a result of faction politics within the CPM and the chaos that resulted from the Cultural Revolution in China during the period, Shamsiah and her husband became increasingly estranged from the party's Secretary General, Chin Peng. Both Shamsiah and her husband were expelled from the party in 1972. As they were unable to return to Malaysia (established in 1963 with the federation of Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo, and Sarawak), they settled in the town of Xiangtan, Hunan and were assigned to work in a steel factory.[4] She also served as a Malay language consultant with Radio Beijing and the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute.[1]

Shamsiah and her family applied to the Malaysian government for permission to return to the country from 1985 onwards. Following the terms of the 1989 peace agreement signed between the CPM and the Government of Malaysia in Haadyai, Thailand, permission was finally granted on 23 July 1994 and Shamsiah returned along with her husband, their three sons and their four grandchildren. Upon their arrival, the family was met by Special Branch officers who took them to a resort and for about 10 days, they were debriefed and briefed on the local customs and political scenario in Malaysia. One of the conditions for the family's return was a bar on participation in politics and for the first few years upon their return, Shamsiah was not even allowed to participate in academic speaking engagements.[4] Her Chinese daughters-in-law were initially barred entry into the country but were eventually granted permanent residency.[5]

Her memoirs were first published in 2004 by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) but was immediately suppressed by the authorities and withdrawn from circulation. A new edition as well as a Chinese language translation was published in 2007 by the Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD) which saw UKM reintroduce their edition into the market.[6][7]

Following a stroke in 1999, Shamsiah had generally been in poor health and was bedridden by 2007.[5][8] She died on 20 October 2008 at the residence of her son, Jamaluddin Ibrahim (father of Jamaliah Jamaluddin), due to respiratory failure and was buried at the Sungai Besi Muslim cemetery at 5.30pm of the same day.

Present at the funeral were some prominent politicians including the deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Syed Husin Ali, and Democratic Action Party Member of Parliament, Tony Pua.

In 1981, the defected chairman of the CPM, Musa Ahmad, claimed that Shamsiah had committed infanticide by killing her third child while in the jungle to avoid capture.[9]

She subsequently denied the allegation in her memoirs and explained that she was convinced by fellow guerillas to give the child away to local villagers to be raised upon entering an unfamiliar district. It was only later that she discovered that the child had in fact been killed. The Japanese was raiding the whole village in an attempt to find her child, and threatened to behead everyone in the village if the child is found hidden by one of the villagers. There was no way to hide the crying child, so it was killed by one of the villagers by drowning, and the Japanese never found it.[1]


Ajis bin Sitin (born 8 April 1963) is a Malaysian civil servant who has served as the Director-General of Department of Orang Asli Development from 2017 to 2019.[1][2] He was appointed as a Senator on 25 August 2021 to represent Pahang.[3]


Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Sukarti bin Wakiman was the 8th State Secretary of Sabah from 3 July 2008 to 8 July 2018.

He was born and bred in Labuan to an ethnic Malay family of two parents with distinct ethnic ancestries, being born to an ethnic Javanese immigrant father from Java, Indonesia and his local-born ethnic Bruneian Malay wife.

Sukarti started his education in Kerupang Primary School of Labuan in 1961, before he continued his study at Sabak Bernam Secondary School, Selangor in 1967, and Sekolah Alam Shah, Kuala Lumpur in 1970.

In 1974, he continued his studies at University of Malaya and got a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology in 1977.

He joined State Public Service on 15 July 1977 as Manpower Officer at Sabah Ministry of Manpower and Environment Development, before promoted to the same post as the senior one. In 1980, he was appointed as Administrative Officer in the state ministry.

On 25 September 1981, he was promoted as Ceremonial and Protocol Officer at Ceremonial and Protocol Division, Chief Minister's Department, before transferred to State Development Department as Senior Administrative Officer of Coordination on 1 September 1984.

After 23 days, he was chosen to hold the office of the Private Secretary to the State Governor, Mohd. Said Keruak, until 6 May 1994. He then promoted to the post of the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Fishery and Agriculture (on 7 May 1994) and in the State Ministry of Rural Development (on 16 May 1996). On 23 March 1998, he was appointed as the Director of State Public Service and reappointed back to the same post once again on 24 April 2000. Before that, on 13 January 2000, he was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of Infrastructure Development.

On 3 July 2007, he was sworn in as the 8th Secretary of State of Sabah[1] succeeding KY Mustafa. He retired on 8 July 2018 and was replaced by Hashim Paijan.


Sundarajoo a/l Somu is a Malaysian politician from DAP. He has been the member of Penang State Executive Council for Housing and Environment and the Member of Penang State Legislative Assembly for Perai since 2023.

Sundarajoo was born into a poor family in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.[1]

Sundarajoo got his diploma from the Federal Institute of Technology. He is also a Master in Business Administration from Nottingham Trent University.[1]

Sundarajoo first worked as an adjuster for the General Insurance Association of Malaysia. He lost his work during the 1987 financial crisis and started working as a field conductor in an estate. Then, he started working as a taxi driver before becoming a security guard where Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, the founder of S P Setia, lived. Subsequently, he worked as Liew's driver before joining S P Setia in 2005 as a salesman. In 2002, he was made the general manager of S P Setia for the northern region of Malaysia. In 2014, following Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s takeover of S P Setia, he helped Liew to set up EcoWorld and became the Deputy Chairman and deputy CEO of EcoWorld.[1][2]


Arunarsin bin Taib is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Gum-Gum since May 2018. He served as the State Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports of Sabah in the Heritage Party (WARISAN) administration under former Chief Minister Shafie Apdal and former Ministers Frankie Poon Ming Fung and Ginger Phoong Jin Zhe from May 2018 to the collapse of the WARISAN administration in September 2020. He is a member of WARISAN.


Connie Tan Hooi Peng is a Malaysian politician. A member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), she has been the member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly representing Seri Delima since 2023.

Connie is a law graduate from Oxford Brookes University.[1]

Connie has been involved in politics since 2013 and served eight terms as a member of Penang Island City Council, from 2014 to 2015, then from 2018 to 2023.[1][2][3] She is also the Chairwomen for DAP Taman Harbour View Branch and Publicity Secretary of DAP Women Wing.[4]


Tan Keng Liang (simplified Chinese: 陈庆亮; traditional Chinese: 陳慶亮; pinyin: Chén Qìngliàng; born 14 November 1977), is a politician in Malaysia but has not been elected in either State or Parliament Seats, who is currently the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) Youth Chief. Gerakan is a component of Malaysia's previous ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN). He won the election for the post of Gerakan Youth head for the 2013/2016 session at the Gerakan Youth and Wanita wings' conference defeating Oh Tong Keong.

Over the usage of the word "Allah" in The Herald, he said the Barisan Nasional supreme council should also convene an emergency meeting as soon as possible to resolve the dispute once and for all.[1]  He urged the Barisan Nasional supreme council to take a firm and fair stand on the "Allah" issue soon and wants BN leadership to reach an amicable solution to resolve the contentious matter after seeking views of all its 13 component parties.[2] He said this in an e-statement in response to the Court of Appeal (COA) decision to stop the Catholic weekly periodical The Herald from using the term "Allah" in its Bahasa Malaysia publication as a reference to "God".


Nathaniel Tan (born 1980) is a Malaysian of Chinese-Indian Peranakan descent. In July 2007, he came under the spotlight when he was detained by the Royal Malaysian Police for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act.[1] He was then working with current Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. After being detained for a few days, he was released with no charges preferred.

Nat was the editor of a book on the conflict between former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, titled Mahathir vs. Abdullah: Covert Wars and Challenged Legacies and published in early 2007. He later co-edited a book on religion and politics with John Lee, Religion Under Siege?: Lina Joy, the Islamic State and Freedom of Faith, published in early 2008. Nat has since co-edited two books on Malaysian politics with Lee, Political Tsunami: An End to Hegemony in Malaysia? and Where is Justice?: Death and Brutality in Custody. The latter, a book concerning custodial deaths, including high-profile cases such as those of Altantuya Shaariibuu and Teoh Beng Hock, was confiscated from a number of bookstores in late January 2010, a month after its release, prompting concerns that it may have been banned by the Home Ministry.[2]

Nat originally lived in the Damansara Utama suburb of Petaling Jaya, before moving to Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur. He attended Sunway University College where he studied for his A Levels, before attending Harvard College in the United States, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in 2004 with a Special Concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies.[3]

In February 2007, a book edited by Nat, titled Mahathir vs. Abdullah: Covert Wars and Challenged Legacies, was published by the publishing arm of Malaysiakini. The book carried commentary by politicians such as Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Guan Eng, and also articles by local commentators and activists.[4]

A month later, Nat joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), serving as an aide to Tian Chua, the party's information chief.[3] He later began working for the party's de facto head, Anwar Ibrahim, as Anwar's secretary for work related to the Foundation For the Future, which Anwar was then president of.

On 13 July 2007, Tan was detained by three plainclothes policemen, who requested that he bring his notebook computer and follow them to the police headquarters at Bukit Aman. However, Tan's lawyer later stated that according to Bukit Aman, there was no record of his detention. A police report was filed alleging Tan had been kidnapped.[5]

At 10pm that day, roughly six hours after his disappearance, Bukit Aman confirmed that they were holding Tan. Malaysiakini reported that "According to the police, Tan will be held for 24 hours by the Cyber Crime Unit in Jalan Dato Onn to facilitate investigation under the Official Secrets Act," and that Tan's home desktop computer had been seized as well. Shortly afterwards, Tan was transferred to a different police station. It was announced that he would appear before a magistrate the following day for further remand.[5]

On 14 July, Tan was remanded for four days by a magistrate, who rejected the police request for a 14-day remand order, the maximum permitted under the law. The proceedings commenced before the arrival of his lawyers, who later alleged that the investigating police officers intentionally refrained from informing them about the proceedings, and that the court police had also misled the investigating officers about Tan's lawyers' whereabouts.[6]

An investigating officer later confirmed that Tan was being investigated for a potential violation of section 8 of the Official Secrets Act, which pertains to "wrongful communication, etc. of [an] official secret". Tan had reportedly published a comment on his blog alleging corruption on the part of Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharom. After Tan's arrest, Johari announced that he had instructed the police to investigate "lies" published on the internet.[6]

One of Tan's lawyers, R. Sivarasa, stated that the remand order was meant only to "put Nat under duress". Citing the fact that several documents, CDs, and computers had been seized from Tan's office, home and car, Sivarasa stated:

If the remand is for investigation why continue to detain him, when he has given everything? This is a fishing expedition. There's clearly another agenda behind this. ... This is purely an act of oppression. I want to go on record (to say) this detention is politically motivated.[7]

On 18 July, Tan was released at 5.15pm on police bail, but was required to report back to the Commercial Crime Investigation Department in Kuala Lumpur on 31 July.[8][9]

After Tan's detention, Anwar condemned his arrest, and called for Tan's family members and lawyers to be given access to him. Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang condemned "secretive circumstances in the first seven hours of Tan's arrest", calling them "a scandal which speaks of a police which has yet to fully accept that the first principle of policing in a democratic system must be policing for the people and not policing to serve the government leaders of the day". Lim also suggested that Tan might be a "pawn" used by the police and government to "protect their vested interests".[10]

Human rights watchdog Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) alleged that Tan's rights under the Constitution of Malaysia had been violated:

Under Article 5(3), it is the duty of the police to tell the (detainee) the grounds of arrest as soon as possible and allow Tan to consult his lawyer ... In the case of Tan, he was not told of the ground of arrest but was taken away on the pretext of investigations and the lawyers were not informed of his arrests ... Was the police trying to avoid informing the detainee of the ground of arrest by not making it clear to Tan that it was in fact an arrest?[10]

Other organisations that condemned Tan's detention included the Malaysian Bar Council, the Centre for Independent Journalism and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).[7] The Sun condemned the circumstances surrounding Tan's detention as "attempts at obstructing justice", and called them "politically motivated".[11]

In response to a question in Parliament from Lim about two months after Tan's detention, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stated that "The arrest and the police report [filed against another blogger] are usual procedures followed by the police."[12]

In early 2008, Kinibooks, the publishing branch of Malaysiakini, published Religion Under Siege?: Lina Joy, the Islamic State and Freedom of Faith, a book Tan co-edited with John Lee about religious and political issues in Malaysia. It later published Tan's and Lee's Political Tsunami: An End to Hegemony in Malaysia? in 2008, and Where is Justice?: Death and Brutality in Custody in late 2009.

In late January 2010, about a month after its release, the Royal Malaysian Police and Home Ministry confiscated copies of Where is Justice? from bookstores in Penang and Malacca, prompting concerns that it may have been banned. The authorities also confiscated copies of 1FunnyMalaysia, another Kinibooks book, claiming that both books "could pose a threat to public order, morality, security".[2] In a statement on his blog, Tan insisted that "We took considerable pains to ensure that everything in Where is Justice was carefully written to be factual, and all opinion therein had been previously published online. ... Don't shoot the messenger."[13] On 5 February 2010, police in Seremban, Negri Sembilan, confiscated 12 copies of Where is Justice? and 10 of 1FunnyMalaysia; an officer who participated in the raid said "We are not banning the books but are just taking them to analyse their content." Malaysiakini is reportedly consulting its lawyers and considering legal action.[14] A few days later, a further eight copies were seized from another Seremban bookstore, and another four from a Johor Bahru bookstore.[15]

Writer and filmmaker Amir Muhammad criticised the seizures, saying: "Every publisher gives five copies of each book to the National Library. So, why can't the authorities borrow the books from there instead of confiscating them from bookstores? If they need it for 'study' or 'review', why can't they buy a copy instead of taking all the copies for free? I'm sure one is enough for their purpose." He also urged bookstores to be proactive in opposing the confiscations, citing a previous instance where "Only one of [Salman] Rushdie's books, The Satanic Verses, was banned by the Home Ministry but MPH removed all of Rushdie's books from the shelves. That's a case in point of booksellers taking a soft stand against the banning of books. This is self-censorship."[16]

Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Ahmad Fuad Ab Aziz later said that the ministry's enforcement officers found the titles to be "offensive" and in violation of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. However, he said the ministry was still deciding whether it would ban the books in question.[16]

Besides writing and publishing, Nathaniel Tan is also very passionate in education. He has served on the Harvard board of interviewers for three years – two of which (2008 and 2009) as an interviewer, and two (2010 and 2011) as an observer. He has also been one of the speakers for several US University Admission talks in Malaysia.

He has previously provided assistance to students applying to US universities. During his first year (2009) in this field, a number of Nat's 25 students were offered admission into Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Chicago, among others.[17]

On August 4, 2021, Tan made the news again in Malaysia by going on a hunger strike calling for five firm actions by the unpopular Perikatan Nasional government under whom Covid-19 cases and deaths were spiralling.[18]


Lai Teck (real name Phạm Văn Đắc; 1901–1947) was a leader of the Communist Party of Malaya and Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army. A person of mixed Sino-Vietnamese descent,[7][8] prior to his arrival in Malaya, Lai Teck was believed to have led his life as Truong Phuoc Dat until 1934, during which Dat disappeared and Lai Teck appeared.[9]

Lai Teck was a shadowy character whose real name and background are unknown. He was believed to be born under the name of Hoang A Nhac or Phạm Văn Đắc in the Bà Rịa (now Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province) in 1901.[2] According to his successor Chin Peng, he curiously chose the party alias 'Wright' which, given the Chinese pronunciation of English words beginning with the letter 'r' soon became distorted to Lai Te. This was further mangled, depending on who was writing or speaking English, to 'Loi Teck', 'Lai Teck' and 'Lighter'.[10]

Lai Teck was believed to have served the French as a spy in Indochina but been uncovered. It was subsequently alleged that he was recruited by the British security services and brought to Singapore in 1934 to infiltrate the Communist Party of Malaya.

At this he was highly successful, and by using the colonial police force to pick off his rivals within the Party he rose through the hierarchy and attained the Communist Party of Malaya leadership as its secretary general in April 1939.[11] Perhaps because of this, he steered the Party on a course of non-confrontation with the British and wholly embraced the Communist International's new line of co-operation with the United States and the Western European powers against Nazi Germany and Japan.

Although many of the CPM's top personnel managed to flee Singapore before its capture by Japanese forces, Lai Teck did not and was picked up in a Japanese sweep shortly after in early March 1942. Although most communists were executed by the Japanese, Lai Teck walked free a few days later. Based on later evidence, including documents in Japanese archives, it now appears most likely that Lai Teck saved his life by promising to act as a Japanese agent.

In August 1942 Lai Teck arranged for a full meeting which included the CPM's Central Executive Committee, state party officials, and a group leaders of the MPAJA to be held at the Batu Caves, about ten miles north from Kuala Lumpur. On 1 September 1942, more than 100 senior CPM and MPAJA members gathered at a small village near the Caves for a secret conference, the Japanese staged a surprise raid at dawn. In the ensuing lopsided skirmish most of the CPM and MPAJA high command were destroyed. Lai Teck, who should have been at the meeting, wasn't. Subsequently, he claimed that he had been unable to attend because his car broke down.

The MCP adopted a new party program after the end of World War II and the liberation of Malaya from Japanese forces. Seeking to reconcile its own goals and that of the British, which had provided the MCP with training, and logistical and material support during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, the new program sought an alliance with Allied forces and called for self-governance with the aim of eventually achieving independence, going against the party's wartime policy, which had advocated independence upon the expulsion of Japan. In an accompanying document, Lai Teck placed emphasis on the party's political struggle, arguing that if the party were to "adopt armed struggle immediately we would become isolated and alienated from the people. This is a kind of leftist Blanquist revolutionary action that is not suitable for the present circumstances...".[12]

While the true scope of opposition to Lai Teck and the new program remains unclear, scholar Marc H. Opper concludes that it had reached a level that required direct refutation by the party's leadership (i.e., Lai Teck), and that the a split had occurred over the party's new direction. For example, an incident where the Kedah state committee opted to enforce the party's wartime program required the intervention of Chin Peng at the behest of Lai Teck, who managed to resolve the conflict peacefully.[13]

In 1946, faint rumours which had been circulating within the party about disloyalty on the part of Lai Teck began to receive more substantiation. This was exacerbated by the restlessness of the rank and file, especially the younger members, who favoured radical action. Lai Teck was removed from some sensitive posts, and an investigation was begun into his activities. A full meeting of the Central Executive Committee was scheduled for 6 March 1947 at which the complaints against Lai Teck were to be aired in his presence.  Lai Teck did not attend but instead absconded with the bulk of the Party's funds, hiding first in Singapore, then going to Hong Kong and later to Thailand.[14]

With Lai Teck gone, the party elected a new leader, Chin Peng. According to Chin Peng, he personally went to Bangkok and Hong Kong in 1947, contacted the communist party organizations there and asked them to help him to track down and kill Lai Teck; both the Vietnamese and Thai communists assisted Chin Peng in the manhunt;[14] and eventually, Chin Peng was told by the Thai Communist leader that Lai Teck was accidentally killed in Bangkok some time when three Thai Communists tried to capture him. Reportedly, Lai Teck was suffocated during the struggle, after which his body was put into a gunny sack and tossed into the Menam River.[14][15]


Teh Lai Heng is a Malaysian politician. A member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), he has been the member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly representing Komtar since 2013.

Teh studied in SMJK Jit Sin and TARC Penang before studying in Universiti Sains Malaysia.[1]

Teh is currently the Chairman of DAP Padang Kota branch, Secretary of DAP Tanjong division, and the political secretary for the DAP Penang Chairman, Chow Kon Yeow.[1]


Teng Chang Yeow (Chinese: 鄧章耀; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tēng Chiong-iāu; born 12 December 1964 is a former Malaysian politician who served as the Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly for Padang Kota from 1995 to 2008. He was also the former Secretary-General of the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN), as well as the former Barisan Nasional (BN) Penang Chief.

He is a younger brother to Teng Chang Khim, the former Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly and a Selangor State Executive Council member.[1][2][3] Unlike Teng Chang Yeow himself, Teng Chang Khim is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a major component of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.[1][2][3] Nevertheless, both are sons of Teng Boon Ngap, who was a prominent member of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) before 1980s.[1][2] They are also nephews to the former Tebrau MP Teng Boon Soon.[1][2]

Prior to joining politics, Teng studied at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and worked as a political secretary to the former Chief Minister of Penang Koh Tsu Koon.[2][4] He served as a municipal councillor from 1992 to 1995.[4]

Teng was firstly elected to the Penang State Legislative Assembly for Padang Kota at the 1995 election, defeating Karpal Singh.[5] He was kept elected in 1999. Becoming Penang Chief Minister's political secretary. He was reelected in 2004 and appointed as Penang State Executive Councillor (Tourism Development and Environment), but lost to Chow Kon Yeow (who later became the Chief Minister of Penang in 2018) in 2008.[6] Before he lost, he was one of the potential CM candidate that could succeed Koh Tsu Koon.[5]

On 22 April 2012, Teng became the Barisan Nasional (BN) Penang Chief, replacing Koh.[7] In the 2013 election, he contested for Bukit Tengah, but was defeated by Ong Chin Wen from the People's Justice Party (PKR).[6] Following the 2013 election, he contested for the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN) leadership election, but lost to Mah Siew Keong.[8]

In the 2018 election, Teng was announced as the BN candidate for Tanjong Bunga, who fought against the PH unity candidate Zairil Khir Johari.[9] He also previously assured that this would be the last election he contests.[4] He, however, only obtained 3,902 votes and came far behind of Zairil.[10]

The outcome of the election showed the worst result of the BN in the state, with just retaining 2 out of 40 seats in the state.[11] The 2 were from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO); no MCA or GERAKAN candidates were elected.[10] The BN also lost its ruling party status since the country's independence in 1957.[12] Chow Kon Yeow, whom Teng defeated him for 2 times before, inaugurated as the new Chief Minister of Penang.[13]

After he was defeated in the 2018 Penang state election, Teng made an announcement to resign all positions he was holding, as well as retiring from politics.[10]


Datuk Seri R.S. Thanenthiran (born 4 July 1963) is a Malaysian politician and businessman. He is the founder and current president of the Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP).[1][2]

Thanenthiran was born on 4 July 1963 at Sungai Petani, Kedah.[1] In 1990, he married Vaney Maniam and they have three children. Before entering politics Thanenthiran worked as a teacher.

Thanenthiran and the MMSP's main ideology is to develop the education level of Malaysian Indians. Thanenthiran has called on political leaders to adopt at least one Tamil school.[3]


Uda bin Sulai is a Malaysian politician who has been the State Assistant Minister. He served as the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Petagas from May 2018 until September 2020. He is a member of the Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN).[1][2]


Dato' Sri Haji Wan Rosdy bin Wan Ismail (born 1 October 1958[citation needed]) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 14th Menteri Besar of Pahang since May 2018 and Member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly for Jelai (MLA) since March 2004. He served as Member of the Pahang State Executive Council (EXCO) from March 2008 to May 2018. He is a member and State Chairman of Pahang of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He has also served as the Vice President of UMNO since March 2023.[1][2]

Wan Rosdy received his early education at the Clifford Primary School (1965), Sekolah Menengah Clifford and Sekolah Menengah Mahmud Raub before pursuing a Diploma in Commerce at the Institut Teknologi Mara (ITM).
He then pursued his bachelor's degree in Social Science (Political Science) at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Married to Burhah Mohamed and has three children.[3][4]

Wan Rosdy began his career in the civil service as an executive with the Perak branch of the National Paddy and Rice Board (LPN) in 1985, before being appointed manager at the LPN Complex in Arau, Perlis in 1989. He has also held several posts within Bernas.

Wan Rosdy was elected as Cameron Highlands Umno division chief in 2003 has been Cameron Highlands Barisan Nasional chairperson since 2008.

In 2004, Wan Rosdy was elected as Jelai state assemblyperson and he has been serving the constituency since. He has also served as chairperson of the Pahang Orang Asli Affairs and Rural Development Committee from 2008 to 2013, before being appointed as state exco for the second term as Pahang Housing and Municipal committee chairperson in 2013.

On May 15, 2018, Wan Rosdy was sworn in as Menteri Besar after BN was reelected as the state government in the 2018 Pahang state election, replacing Adnan Yaakob who was retiring after serving in the position for 19 years. Adnan however remained as an MLA. [5] On 28 November 2022 after the 2022 Pahang state election resulted in a hung assembly, he was sworn in as the Menteri Besar for the second term after BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) agreed to form the state coalition of Pahang and nominate him to be reappointed to the position. The two coalitions received the support from a total of 24 MLAs to do so, which exceeded the simple majority of at least 22 MLAs required.


Wilson Ugak Kumbong is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Digital in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Minister Gobind Singh Deo since December 2023, Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) since April 2020 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hulu Rajang since May 2013. He served as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties in the PH administration under Prime Minister Anwar and Minister Armizan Mohd Ali from December 2022 to December 2023. He is a member and Vice President of the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition and formerly Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.[1] He is also cousin of Alexander Nanta Linggi, the Minister of Works and MP for Kapit.

Kumbong firstly contested and won for the Hulu Rajang seat at the 2013 general election.[2][3] He retained the seat in both the 2018 and 2022 general elections, defeating Abun Sui Anyit from the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of then Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and PH opposition coalitions in all three elections and Geroge Lagong from the Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) in 2013. He was appointed as Chairman of NIOSH by the then Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in April 2020, replacing Alice Lau Kiong Yieng from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), another component party of then PH opposition coalition.[1][4] He is the first Chairman of NIOSH of the Iban ethnicity.[4] He was appointed as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs by Prime Minister Anwar in December 2022, deputising for Minister Armizan Mohd Ali.


Wong Yuee Harng is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Pengkalan Kota since August 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

Wong joined DAP in 2012. He has served in the Penang Island City Council for 8 years before being nominated to contest in the 2023 Penang state election. He is currently the Treasurer and Chief of Youth Wing of DAP Tanjong division.[1]


Wong Keat Ping[a] (born 9 March 1970), known professionally as Elizabeth Wong, is a Malaysian politician and activist who served as Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) state administrations under former Menteris Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Azmin Ali from March 2008 to May 2018 as well as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Bukit Lanjan from March 2008 to August 2023. She is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH and formerly coalition.

Wong is also a human rights activist and was involved in activist environmental campaigns.

Wong entered the electoral arena as a PKR candidate during the 12th general election. On 8 March 2008, Wong defeated the incumbent and was elected as the new Selangor State Assemblywoman for Bukit Lanjan with a majority of over 5000 votes. Wong will not be defending her seat in the 2023 Selangor state election and will be replaced by Phua Pei Lei.[1]


Joshua Woo Sze Zeng is a Malaysian politician. A member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), he has been the member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly representing Pulau Tikus since 2023.

Woo was born in Penang Island but moved to Bukit Mertajam when he was 2.[1]

Woo is a Master of Sustainable Development Management from Sunway University.[2]

Woo worked in Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore for more than 13 years before returning to Malaysia in 2015.

Woo was invited to join DAP in 2008 by future Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru, Sim Tze Tzin. He had also campaigned for Berapit candidate Ong Kok Fooi in the 2008 Penang state election. He is currently the Secretary of DAP Jalan Tembikai branch. He was also a member of Seberang Perai City Council.[1][3]

Woo established Generasi Penang, an NGO aimed to provide more opportunities for young Penangites to show their talents. He is also currently the Chairman of Sustainable Malaysia Association, an NGO that he had established, aimed to advocate social, ecological and economic development.


Ibrahim bin Yaacob (1911 – 8 March 1979) was a Malayan politician. An opponent of the British colonial government, he was president and founder of the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM).[1] During World War II, he supported the Japanese during their occupation of Malaya[1] and led the Malayan Volunteer Army. Arrested by the British colonial government, he was freed by the Japanese in February 1942, and went on to save hundreds of Malayan soldiers from being killed during the occupation; this saved him from being arrested by Force 136 after the war.[2] He died in Jakarta on 8 March 1979.[3]

Ibrahim was born in Temerloh, Pahang, to a family of Bugis descent.[4] In 1929, he joined the Sultan Idris Teachers' Training College and graduated two years later as a teacher. During the 1930s, he wrote a series of articles that were critical of the British administration in Malay newspapers and was later forced to resign after receiving a warning from the British authorities. He became the editor of a nationalistic newspaper, Majlis, and formed the KMM in 1938.[5] The goal of KMM was to achieve independence for Malaya through union with Indonesia.[6] As a member of KMM, he welcomed and worked with Japanese as he believed that Japanese would aid Malaya in gaining independence and support its fifth column activities.[7]

Several places were named after him, including:


Ismail Yaacob (1949–2009) was a Manek Urai state assemblyman.

Ismail, who was deputy head of the Kuala Krai PAS division, won the Manek Urai seat in 1985 and had been the elected representative there for five terms. In 2004, he did not contest the seat but did so in 2008, defeating Mohamed Zulkepli Omar of Barisan Nasional with a majority of 1,352 votes.[citation needed] He was one of the longest-serving PAS elected representatives in Kelantan.

On 21 May 2009, Ismail died at 5:55 AM at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital where he had been admitted since April for diabetes, heart ailments and gout[citation needed]. He left behind his wife, Siti Zaharah Ibrahim, and 10 children.


Tan Sri Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad (Jawi: زين العابدين بن أحمد; 16 September 1895 – 23 October 1973)[1] or better known by the moniker Za'aba (alternatively spelled Za'ba), was a Malaysian writer and linguist. He modernised the Malay language with the publication of a series of grammar books entitled Pelita Bahasa in 1936 at the Sultan Idris Training College. The book contained guidelines in modernising the structure of classical Malay, transforming it into the language that is in use today: the most significant change was the switch from the conventional passive to the modern active form of syntax.[2]

He also devised the Za'aba Spelling system for Malay, which was adopted as the official orthography of Malay in Malaya and successor state Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei until when it was replaced by the New Rumi Spelling in 1972.

Zainal Abidin was born on 16 September 1895 in Kampung Bukit Kerdas, Batu Kikir, Jempol in the state of Negeri Sembilan; the eldest of three children. His mother, Intan Awaluddin (1877–1907) was of Minangkabau descent, while his father Ahmad Ibrahim (1862–1927) was a Buginese from a well-off family in the Riau Islands — the latter being the only literate person in the village.[3] Zainal Abidin, however, learned to read and write by himself from the age of five, practising his writing on young banana leaves with a twig as a stylus. This caught the interest of his father, who decided to buy him a writing slate and some chalk. This further motivated Zainal's affinity for writing and helped to finetune his writing skills later on.[4]

Za'aba initially received his early education at a Malay school in Batu Kikir at the age of 12. His academic excellence allowed him to advance by two grades to Year 3. His father transferred him to a nearby school in Linggi in 1909, in the hopes that his son would become an ulama and learn the fields of Arabic and Islamic jurisprudence, among other things.[3] He then continued his study at St. Paul's Institution, Seremban, becoming the first Malay to take and pass the Senior Cambridge test in 1915.[5]

Za'aba started his career as a teacher at:

Za'aba loved reading and had a highly commendable talent in writing, with most of his writings published in local newspapers and magazines. He published a series of monographs in regard to the Malay language, including Pelita Bahasa (lit. 'Light of Language') and Ilmu Mengarang Melayu (lit. 'Malay Writing Skills'). His other writings include a compilation of translated Shakespeare works, Cerita-Cerita Shakespeare, that was published by Percetakan Gudang Chap in Singapore.

Za'aba wrote a lot of essays that were social criticisms against the ills affecting contemporary Malay society and against British colonial rule at the time. His hidden hand[further explanation needed] had a role in the formation of the United Malays National Organisation, a political party that had played an influential role in Malayan and later Malaysian politics as one of the dominant parties in the Alliance coalition (1957–1973) and the succeeding Barisan Nasional (1973–2018).


Zulkefli bin Bakar is a Malaysian politician from BERSATU. He has been a Member of Penang State Legislative Assembly representing Penanti since 2023.

Zulkefli is currently the Chairman of BERSATU Penang and BERSATU Permatang Pauh division.[1]