Hishammuddin Hussein

Hishammuddin bin Hussein (Jawi: هشام الدين بن حسين; born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and currently serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 10 March 2020. He was also the Minister of Defence of Malaysia from 16 May 2013 to 10 May 2018. He previously served as Minister of Youth and Sports (1999–2004), Minister of Education (2004–2009), and Minister of Home Affairs (2009–2013). As Acting Minister of Transport (2013–2014) he came to international prominence in March 2014, as the minister responsible for investigating the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.[1]


Hishammuddin Hussein

هشام الدين حسين
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
10 March 2020
MonarchAbdullah
Prime MinisterMuhyiddin Yassin
DeputyKamarudin Jaffar
Preceded bySaifuddin Abdullah
ConstituencySembrong
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
(Special Functions)
In office
12 April 2017  10 May 2018
MonarchMuhammad V
Prime MinisterNajib Razak
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
ConstituencySembrong
Minister of Defence
In office
16 May 2013  10 May 2018
MonarchAbdul Halim
(2013-2016)
Muhammad V
(2016-2018)
Prime MinisterNajib Razak
DeputyAbdul Rahim Bakri
(2013–2015)
Mohd Johari Baharum
(2015–2018)
Preceded byAhmad Zahid Hamidi
Succeeded byMohamad Sabu
ConstituencySembrong
Minister of Transport
Acting
Covering duties
16 May 2013  25 June 2014
MonarchAbdul Halim
Prime MinisterNajib Razak
DeputyAziz Kaprawi
Preceded byKong Cho Ha
Succeeded byLiow Tiong Lai
ConstituencySembrong
Minister of Home Affairs
In office
10 April 2009  15 May 2013
MonarchMizan Zainal Abidin
(2009-2011)
Abdul Halim
(2011-2013)
Prime MinisterNajib Razak
DeputyAbu Seman Yusop
Jelaing Mersat (2009–2010)
Lee Chee Leong (2010–2013)
Preceded bySyed Hamid Albar
Succeeded byAhmad Zahid Hamidi
ConstituencySembrong
Minister of Education
In office
27 March 2004  9 April 2009
MonarchSirajuddin
(2004-2006)
Mizan Zainal Abidin
(2006-2009)
Prime MinisterAbdullah Ahmad Badawi
DeputyMahadzir Mohd Khir
(2004-2006)
Han Choon Kim
(2006-2008)
Noh Omar
(2006-2008)
Razali Ismail
(2008-2009) Wee Ka Siong
(2008-2009)
Preceded byMusa Mohamad
Succeeded byMuhyiddin Yassin
ConstituencySembrong
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office
14 December 1999  26 March 2004
MonarchSalahuddin
Sirajuddin
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
DeputyOng Tee Keat
Preceded byMuhyiddin Yassin
Succeeded byAzalina Othman Said
ConstituencyTenggara
Vice President of the
United Malays National Organisation
(Acting Deputy President: 12 May 2018 – 30 June 2018)
In office
26 March 2009  30 June 2018
Serving with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Shafie Apdal (2009–2016)
PresidentNajib Razak
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Acting)
DeputyMuhyiddin Yassin (2009-2016)
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Acting) (2016–2018)
Preceded byMohd Ali Rustam
Succeeded byMohamed Khaled Nordin
ConstituencySembrong
Treasurer-General of Barisan Nasional
Assumed office
23 October 2020
ChairmanAhmad Zahid Hamidi
Preceded byTengku Adnan Tengku Mansor
ConstituencySembrong
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Sembrong
Assumed office
21 March 2004
Preceded byPosition established
Majority16,978 (2004)
11,570 (2008)
10,631 (2013)
6,662 (2018)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Tenggara
In office
24 April 1995  21 March 2004
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAdham Baba (UMNOBN)
Majority24,518 (1995)
20,817 (1999)
Personal details
Born (1961-08-05) 5 August 1961
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Political partyUnited Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
Other political
affiliations
Barisan Nasional (BN)
Perikatan Nasional (PN)
Muafakat Nasional (MN)
Spouse(s)Tengku Marsilla Tengku Abdullah
Children4
ParentsHussein Onn (father)
Suhaila Noah (mother)
ResidenceKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Alma materAberystwyth University
London School of Economics
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Hishamuddin is a senior figure within the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's largest political party and the leading member of the Barisan Nasional coalition that governed the country. He is one of the party's three vice-presidents and was the chief of the party's youth wing from 1998 to 2009.

He is the son of Malaysia's third prime minister, Hussein Onn, and the cousin of the sixth prime minister, Najib Razak.

Early and personal life

Hishammuddin was born on 5 August 1961, the fourth child and the eldest son of Hussein Onn, who became the third Prime Minister of Malaysia, and Suhaila Noah.[2] He is the grandson of Onn Jaafar, a prominent Malay leader and the founder of UMNO, whose mother was a Circassian and born in the Ottoman Empire.[3][4]

He attended the Malay College Kuala Kangsar before his father became Deputy Prime Minister in 1973. Upon his father's appointment to the post, he attended St. John's Institution, and then the Alice Smith School, in Kuala Lumpur, before attending the English public school Cheltenham College.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, in 1984. He also attended the London School of Economics and received a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in Commercial and Corporate Law in 1988.

Before entering politics, he was a lawyer with a large Malaysian firm then known as Skrine & Co. (now known as Skrine) and later, a Kuala Lumpur firm then known as Lee Hishammuddin (now Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill).

His wife, Marsilla Tengku Abdullah, is a princess from the state of Pahang. They married in 1986.[5]

Political career

Upon returning from the United Kingdom in 1989, Hishammuddin joined UMNO. He rose through the ranks of UMNO's youth wing in the 1990s, becoming its national chief in 1998. He assumed the position at a time when UMNO Youth had been torn apart by the sacking of the Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was popular among young UMNO members. Hishammuddin's predecessor, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, had been an Anwar supporter.[5]

Meanwhile, in 1995, he had been elected to the federal parliament for the Johor-based seat of Tenggara. He was immediately appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for International Trade and Industry in the government of Mahathir Mohamad. His rise to the leadership of UMNO Youth in 1998 coincided with his elevation to the full ministry the following year, as the Minister for Youth and Sport. He retained his parliamentary seat in the 1999 election.[5]

In 2004, the Barisan Nasional government, now led by Abdullah Badawi, was returned to power with Hishammuddin holding the newly created seat of Sembrong. Hishammuddin was re-elected as the leader of UMNO Youth and appointed Minister for Education.[5] In his second term as UMNO Youth's leader, Hishammuddin waded into controversy by brandishing the keris, a Malay sword's and symbol of Malay nationalism, at UMNO's 2005 annual general meeting. In response to concerns over the racial rhetoric, then Vice-President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that "Although some sides were a bit extreme [this year], it is quite normal to voice feelings during the assembly."[6] The racially provocative act was criticized by opposition politicians as well as some Chinese politicians from the Barisan Nasional coalition.[7] In 2008, Hishammuddin conceded that the act had caused the coalition to lose support among non-Malay voters in that year's general election.[8]

In 2009, the resignation of Abdullah Badawi as prime minister caused a shake-up in UMNO's senior leadership. Najib Razak, Hishammuddin's cousin, became UMNO's president and the prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin became Najib's deputy in both the party and the government, and the three UMNO vice-presidencies were up for election. Hishammuddin, vacating the leadership of UMNO Youth, contested the vice-presidencies, finishing in second place in an eight-man field. His ascension to the party's vice-presidency in turn guaranteed him a senior Cabinet post,[9] and he was appointed as Minister for Home Affairs.[10] In that position he played a key role in Malaysia's response to the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff in 2013 by militants from the Philippines.

After the 2013 election, in which Najib's government suffered further losses, especially among Chinese voters, Hishammuddin recontested the UMNO vice-presidency. He was barely re-elected in third place, finishing nine votes ahead of Mukhriz Mahathir.[11] He switched ministries with Zahid, taking over the latter's portfolio of Defence. He also assumed the transport ministry on an acting basis; that ministry was normally reserved for the Malaysian Chinese Association, which had decided to withdraw from the Cabinet temporarily, having endured significant losses in the general election.[12] As acting transport minister he was thrust into the international spotlight as the minister responsible for the investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The Sydney Morning Herald criticised Hishammuddin in this position, arguing that he had "struggled during daily press briefings to defend his country’s handling of the search and investigation".[13] Najib, however, defended Hishammuddin's performance. His role ceased in June 2014, when Liow Tiong Lai assumed the ministry. Hishammuddin retained his substantive post as defence minister.[14]

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia[15][16][17][18][19][20]
Year Constituency Votes Pct Opponents Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
1995 P136 Tenggara, Johor Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) 28,727 87.22% Madin Khani @ Md. Din A. Ghani (S46) 4,209 12.78% 34,782 24,518 63.36%
1999 Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) 28,376 78.96% Lokman Noor Adam (PKR) 7,559 21.04% 37,829 20,817 78.06%
2004 P153 Sembrong, Johor Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) 19,575 88.29% Onn Jaafar (PAS) 2,597 11.71% 22,956 16,978 74.61%
2008 Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) 17,988 73.70% Lee Sang (PKR) 6,418 26.30% 25,211 11,570 75.98%
2013 Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) 22,841 65.17% Onn Abu Bakar (PKR) 12,210 34.83% 35,910 10,631 86.35%
2018 Hishammuddin Hussein (UMNO) 21,353 59.24% Onn Abu Bakar (PKR) 14,691 40.76% 36,044 6,662 83.02%

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

Foreign honours

See also

Notes and references

  1. "Full statement by Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein". Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  2. "Tun Suhailah, widow of 3rd PM Tun Hussein Onn, dies at 82". The Malaysian Insider. 4 October 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2007%2f4%2f1%2flifefocus%2f17281586&sec=lifefocus
  5. "Hishammuddin atasi persepsi dikata 'lembik'". Sinar Harian (in Malay). 20 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  6. Gatsiounis, Ioannis (26 November 2006). The racial divide widens in Malaysia Archived 14 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Malaysia Today.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. Hamdan Raja Abdullah (27 April 2008). "Hishammuddin urged to quit over keris issue". The Star. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  9. "Ahmad Zahid, Hishammuddin, Shafie Win Umno Veep Posts". Bernama. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  10. "New Cabinet sworn in". The Star. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  11. "Zahid, Shafie and Hishamuddin maintain positions". Astro Awani. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  12. "Malaysian PM announces new cabinet line-up". Xinhua. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  13. "Missing Malaysia Airlines plane: MH370's man in the middle, Hishammuddin Hussein". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  14. "MH370 saga: Hishammuddin Hussein replaced as Malaysia's transportation minister". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  15. "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 14 April 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout, including votes for third parties. Results before 1986 election unavailable.
  16. "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
  17. "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  18. "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.
  19. "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13". Utusan Malaysia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  20. "Maklumat Calon dan Kawasan Pilihan Raya P153 SEMBRONG Johor". Utusan Malaysia. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  21. "Sultan of Pahang's 74th birthday honours list". The Star. 26 October 2004. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  22. "Highest state award for eight". Sandra Sokial. Borneo Post. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  23. "Muhyiddin heads list of TYT birthday award recipients". Borneo Post. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  24. "Hishammuddin dahului 781 penerima darjah kebesaran Negeri Melaka" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  25. "Pengurniaan Darjah Kebesaran Bergelar Bagi Tahun 1996 Mengikut Negeri" (PDF). Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  26. "PM terima anugerah tertinggi Bahrain" (in Malay). BH Online. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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