Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi (أحمد زاهد بن حميدي; born 4 January 1953) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development since December 2022.

Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi was born on 4 January 1953 in Bagan Datuk, Perak, the eldest son of nine children (seven sons and two daughters) in the family.

Before venturing into politics, Ahmad Zahid studied at University of Malaya for his bachelor's degree where he graduated in 1976.

He also holds a Certificate in Banking from Bank Negara Malaysia before being a banker for OCBC.

In 1986, Zahid was appointed political secretary to Najib Razak during the latter's term as Youth Minister (1986–1990) and then Minister of Defence (1990–1995).

Zahid has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan Datuk since April 1995.

Born in Perak, Zahid studied and began a career in banking before entering politics.

He then became one of the directors of Bank Simpanan Nasional (1995–1998) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB).

During his corporate career, he was a Marketing Executive for Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), Executive Director for Scandinavian Motors Sdn Bhd, Chief Executive Officer of Kretam Holdings Berhad, Chairman of Tekala Corporation Berhad, Seng Hup Berhad and Ramatex Berhad.

In 1995, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi became a member of parliament after winning the Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat in Perak in the general elections.

He was elected UMNO Youth Chief in 1996.

He was once the chief of UMNO youth Bagan Datoh branch, the Vice Chief for the state of Perak UMNO youth, Head of the UMNO Communication for UMNO youth.

His father later died in 1999, more than ten days after the general election of that year.

Following accusations that he was anti-Chinese, he responded asking: "Am I anti-Chinese when I have a Chinese foster father?".

In 1999 he became the Chairman of Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB).

In 1999, Zahid was re-elected Member of Parliament for Bagan Datoh in Perak in the general elections.

He was elected to the UMNO Supreme Council in the following year.

After he won the seat for a third time in the 2004 general elections, Zahid was appointed Deputy Tourism Minister by former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

While being a Deputy Minister, he pursued a Doctor of Philosophy degree from UPM, thesis entitled Barisan Nasional Manifesto As Agenda for Malay Language Newspaper During the General Election Campaign.

He served in several cabinet positions under former Prime Ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak from March 2008 to May 2018.

In 2008, he received his PhD in Communication at Universiti Putra Malaysia after he spent seven years to complete his thesis.

In the political tsunami of 2008, Zahid again retained his Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat at a time when many BN party heavyweights were trounced.

He was then appointed a full Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

In the April 2009 cabinet reshuffle, Zahid was appointed Minister of Defence by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

On 1 October 2011, his mother, Tuminah Abdul Jalil, died of a stroke and heart complication in her hometown Sungai Nipah Darat, Bagan Datoh.

She was previously hospitalized at the Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

Both of his parents are Indonesian-born Malaysians.

He was raised by a Chinese foster-father, Chen Jin Ting and sold ice cream together for six years with his foster family when he was in elementary school.

Chen was not highly educated and would cycle from his house at Simpang Tiga, Hilir Perak to about three kilometers away selling ice cream.

Chen was married with his foster mother, Guo Jin Luan.

He was able to retain his parliamentary seat of Bagan Datoh in the 2013 election, although with a decreased majority.

He was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs in 2013, replacing Hishamuddin Hussein, who took Zahid's previous position at the Ministry of Defence.

He was also Deputy Prime Minister from July 2015 to May 2018.

In July 2015, he was appointed the country's 11th Deputy Prime Minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

A member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), he has served as its leader and the chairman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition since May 2018.

Zahid became the President of the UMNO in 2018 following the party's defeat at the 2018 election.

He served as the 14th Leader of the Opposition from July 2018 to March 2019.

Under his leadership, UMNO and BN won at the 2021 Malacca state election and the 2022 Johor state election, but achieved its worst result in Malaysian history at the 2022 federal election.

After BN formed a coalition government with Pakatan Harapan, he was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia on in December 2022, making him the first person to be appointed to this position twice, under two different administrations.

Zahid has faced several investigations and charges for corruption during his career.