Leader of the Opposition (Malaysia)

The Leader of the Opposition in Malaysian Federal Politics is a Member of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives).[1] By convention, the position is held by the leader of the political party not in government that has the most seats in the House. When in parliament, the Leader of the Opposition sits on the left-hand side of the centre table, in front of the Opposition and opposite the Prime Minister. The Opposition Leader is elected by the minority party of the House according to its rules. A new Opposition Leader may be elected when the incumbent dies, resigns, or is challenged for the leadership.

See also: Opposition (Malaysia)
Leader of the Opposition
Ketua Pembangkang
Incumbent
Anwar Ibrahim
since 18 May 2020
StyleYang Berhormat
(The Honourable)
Member ofHouse of Representatives
Reports toParliament
SeatPort Dickson
AppointerDewan Rakyat
Term length5 years or less, renewable once (while commanding the confidence of the lower house of Parliament with General Elections held no more than five years apart)
Inaugural holderBurhanuddin al-Helmy
Formation1959 (1959)

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and is based on the Westminster model. The Opposition is an important component of the Westminster system, with the Opposition directing criticism at the Government's policies and programs, give close attention to all proposed legislation and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The Opposition is therefore known as the 'government in waiting' and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system.

Since March 2020, PH has been the largest Malaysian Opposition. Previously, the longest-serving Opposition Leader had been Lim Kit Siang, who served for a total of 28 years (from 1975-1999 and then from 2004-2008).

List of Leaders of the Opposition of Malaysia

Colour key (for political parties):
  PMIP/PAS   LPM   DAP   SNAP   PKR   PH   BN   PN

# Portrait Leader of the Opposition Political party Term of office Prime Minister Refs
Took office Left office
1 Burhanuddin al-Helmy
(1911–1969)
MP for Besut		 PMIP 1959 1964 Tunku Abdul Rahman
2 Tan Chee Khoon
(1919–1996)
MP for Batu		 LPM 1964 1969
Parliament suspended 1969 1971
Abdul Razak Hussein
3 Mohamed Asri Muda
(1923–1992)
MP for Pasir Puteh		 PMIP 1971 1973
4 Lim Kit Siang
(b. 1941)
MP for Bandar Malacca		 DAP 30 January 1973 31 July 1974 [2]
5 James Wong Kim Min
(1922–2011)
MP for Miri-Lubis		 SNAP 24 August 1974 30 October 1974
6 Edmund Langgu Saga
(b. 1936)
MP for Saratok		 4 November 1974 4 November 1975 [3]
7 Lim Kit Siang
(b. 1941)
MP for Kota Melaka (1975-1978)
MP for Petaling (1978–1982)
MP for Kota Melaka (1982-1986)
MP for Tanjong (1986–1999)		 DAP 4 November 1975 12 June 1978 [4]
Hussein Onn
31 July 1978 29 March 1982 [5]
Mahathir Mohamad
10 July 1982 19 July 1986 [6]
8 October 1986 4 October 1990 [7]
10 December 1990 6 April 1995 [8]
15 June 1995 10 November 1999 [9]
8 Mohamed Fadzil M. Noor
(1937–2002)
MP for Pendang		 PAS 20 December 1999 23 June 2002 [10]
9 Abdul Hadi Awang
(b. 1947)
MP for Marang		 9 September 2002 4 March 2004 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi [11]
10 Lim Kit Siang
(b. 1941)
MP for Ipoh Timor		 DAP 19 May 2004 13 February 2008 [12]
11 Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
(b. 1952)
MP for Permatang Pauh		 PKR 30 April 2008 28 August 2008 [13][14]
12 Anwar Ibrahim
(b. 1947)
MP for Permatang Pauh		 28 August 2008 3 April 2013 Najib Razak [15]
26 June 2013 16 March 2015 [16][17]
13 Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
(b. 1952)
MP for Permatang Pauh		 PH (PKR) 18 May 2015 7 April 2018 [18]
14 Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
(b. 1953)
MP for Bagan Datuk		 BN (UMNO) 18 July 2018 12 March 2019 Mahathir Mohamad [19]
15 Ismail Sabri Yaakob
(b. 1960)
MP for Bera		 12 March 2019 24 February 2020 [20]
16 Anwar Ibrahim
(b. 1947)
MP for Port Dickson		 PH (PKR) 18 May 2020 Incumbent Muhyiddin Yassin [21]

Living former Leaders of the Opposition

Notes

    References
    1. "www.parlimen.gov.my" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-10-06.
    2. Hansard - 30 January 1973
    3. Hansard - 4 November 1974
    4. Hansard - 5 November 1975
    5. Hansard - 10 October 1978
    6. Hansard - 12 October 1982
    7. Hansard - 8 October 1986
    8. Hansard - 10 December 1990
    9. Hansard - 15 June 1995
    10. Hansard - 20 December 1999
    11. Hansard - 9 September 2002
    12. Hansard - 19 May 2004
    13. Hansard - 30 April 2008
    14. "PKR president poised to make history as first woman Opposition Leader". The Star. 20 March 2008. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
    15. Hansard - 28 August 2008
    16. Hansard - 26 June 2013
    17. "Anwar disqualified as MP since Mar 16, says speaker". The Malaysian Times. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
    18. Hansard - 18 May 2015
    19. Hansard - 18 July 2018
    20. Hansard - 12 March 2019
    21. Hansard - 13 July 2020
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