Mahdzir Khalid

Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Mahdzir Khalid MP
Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 July 2015
Prime Minister	Najib Razak
Preceded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for Padang Terap, Kedah
Incumbent
Assumed office 2013
Preceded by	Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS)
Menteri Besar of Kedah
In office 2005–2008
Monarch	Abdul Halim
Preceded by	Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakhbah (UMNO–BN)
Succeeded by	Azizan Abdul Razak (PAS)
Member of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly for Pedu
In office 2004–2013
Preceded by	Wan Jaafar Wan Ahmad (PAS)
Succeeded by	Kama Noriah Ibrahim (UMNO–BN)
Personal details
Born	Mahdzir bin Khalid 15 December 1960 Alor Star, Kedah, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Citizenship	Malaysian
Political party	United Malays National Organisation–BN
Spouse(s)	Noraini Abdullah
Children	4
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Teacher
Religion	Sunni Islam

Dato' Seri Mahdzir bin Khalid (born 15 December 1960^[1]) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Minister of Education of Malaysia since 2015. He is the member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the seat of Padang Terap, Kedah, having been elected in the 2013 general election. He was Deputy Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water from 2013 to 2015. Previously, he served as the ninth Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of the State of Kedah from 2005 to 2008 and represented the seat of Pedu in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly from 2004 to 2013. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party in Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Political career

Mahdzir started his political career as a staffer and in 1999 became the political secretary to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.^[1] In 2004 he was elected to the Kedah State Legislative Assembly for the rural seat of Pedu. In December 2005 he became the state's Chief Minister after his predecessor, Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakhbah, resigned because of ill health. Mahdzir had been acting in the position since July 2005.^[2]

Mahdzir's tenure as Menteri Besar came to an end after his Barisan Nasional government was defeated in the 2008 election by an opposition coalition led by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).^[3] Mahdzir became Barisan Nasional's opposition leader in the state assembly before moving to federal parliament in the 2013 election, winning the seat of Padang Terap from PAS. After the election he was appointed as Deputy Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water in the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak.^[4]

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia: Padang Terap, Kedah^[5]

Year	Government		Votes	Pct	Opposition		Votes	Pct
2013		Mahdzir Khalid (UMNO)	20,654	56%		Mohd Nasir Zakaria (PAS)	16,202	44%

Kedah State Legislative Assembly: Pedu^[5]

Year	Government		Votes	Pct	Opposition		Votes	Pct
2004		Mahdzir Khalid (UMNO)	7,684	57%		Wan Jaafar Wan Ahmad (PAS)	5,785	43%
2008		Zamri Yusuf (PKR)	6,047	41%		Mahdzir Khalid (UMNO)	8,780	59%

References

1. Habibu, Sira (24 December 2005). "Sultan consents to Mahdzir as Kedah Mentri Besar". The Star. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
2. "Mahdzir takes over as new Kedah Menteri Besar". Daily Express (Malaysia). 23 December 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
3. "Waking up to new politics". The Star. Star Publications (Malaysia). 10 March 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
4. "The complete list of Ministers and Deputy Ministers in Najib's new Cabinet". ABN News. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
5. "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 11 May 2013. Percentage figures based on total turnout, excluding informal votes.