Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar from 2 December 2023

Summary

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is the PAS Member of Parliament for Kemaman (since 2 December 2023) and the 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu, a post he has held since 2018. An aerospace engineer by training, he won the Kemaman by-election on 2 December 2023 with a majority of 37,220 votes. In February 2026, he was appointed Chairman of Perikatan Nasional, and briefly served as parliamentary Opposition Leader from May to June 2026.

Biography

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar (born 16 November 1970 in Jerteh, Besut, Terengganu) is a Malaysian politician, aerospace engineer and academic who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kemaman since 2 December 2023 and as the 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu since May 2018 [1]. He is a member of PAS and serves as its Vice-President [2]. Before entering politics, he held a distinguished academic career: he earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1993, a Master of Science in Combustion and Energy from the University of Leeds in 1996, and a PhD in Aeroengine Ignition and Combustion from the University of Leeds in 2001 [2]. He served as associate professor and head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and as Professor in Practice at Universiti Selangor [2]. He also served as political secretary to PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang from 2008 to 2018 [1]. He was first elected to the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for the Ru Rendang seat in 2018, whereupon he was appointed Menteri Besar. He was sworn in for a second term on 15 August 2023 [1]. He won the Kemaman parliamentary by-election on 2 December 2023 with 64,998 votes and a majority of 37,220 votes over Barisan Nasional's candidate [3]. In February 2026, he was appointed Chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN), and briefly served as Opposition Leader in Parliament from 16 May to approximately 10 June 2026, before Hamzah Zainudin resumed the role on 18 June 2026 [4][5]. He received his Professional Engineer (PEng) certificate from the Board of Engineers Malaysia in 2024 [1].

Known for

Ahmad Samsuri is known as the longest-serving Menteri Besar of Terengganu under PAS rule, having led the state since 2018 and overseen PN's historic clean sweep of all 32 state seats in the 2023 Terengganu state election [2]. He is widely identified as representing a technocratic strand within PAS — an aerospace engineer by training who uses social media and public engagement to communicate with voters [5]. In February 2026, he became Chairman of Perikatan Nasional, succeeding Muhyiddin Yassin, positioning him as a central figure in Malaysia's principal opposition coalition [5][6].

Political positions

Ahmad Samsuri is a member of PAS and operates within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition framework. As Kemaman MP, he has publicly proposed the establishment of an independent grant council to ensure fairer distribution of federal allocations to states, citing practices from Australia and Pakistan [5][7]. As PN Chairman, he has stressed that PAS's directive for members to support Barisan Nasional candidates in Johor state seats where PN is absent does not constitute a formal political alliance, and that there are "no political discussions or negotiations between PAS and Barisan" [4][8]. He has also expressed openness to being considered for Malaysia's prime ministership in the future, stating he would consider such a role if given the trust of his party and the people [4][9][10]. Analysts have described his technocratic profile as positioning him to appeal to both conservative PAS voters and moderate Malay fence-sitters, though questions remain about his ability to attract non-Malay support [5][11].

Education

1. 1993Earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.⛓
2. 1996Obtained a Master of Science in Combustion and Energy from the University of Leeds.⛓
3. 2001Obtained a PhD in Aeroengine Ignition and Combustion (High Altitude Engine Failure) from the University of Leeds.⛓

Before politics

1. Late 1990s–2000sServed as researcher at Universiti Sains Malaysia, quality assurance engineer at Hitachi Consumer Products, and later as associate professor and head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Also served as Professor in Practice at Universiti Selangor (Unisel).⛓
2. 2006Represented Malaysia at the NASA International Conference in Washington D.C. and led Malaysian public university technical delegations to aerospace agencies in China, South Korea and Japan.⛓

Political career

1. 2008–2018Served as Political Secretary to PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang.⛓
2. May 2018Elected as Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly for Ru Rendang in the 14th General Election, and subsequently appointed 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu after PAS won a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.⛓
3. 15 August 2023Sworn in as Menteri Besar of Terengganu for a second term after PN secured a clean sweep of all 32 seats in the Terengganu state election.⛓
4. 2 December 2023Won the Kemaman parliamentary by-election under the PAS/PN ticket with 64,998 votes and a majority of 37,220 votes, defeating Barisan Nasional's retired general Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.⛓
5. 22 February 2026Unanimously appointed Chairman of Perikatan Nasional at an extraordinary PN Supreme Council meeting, succeeding Muhyiddin Yassin who had resigned from the post effective 1 January 2026.⛓
6. 16 May 2026Appointed as Opposition Leader in the Dewan Rakyat by the PN Supreme Council, succeeding Hamzah Zainudin.⛓
7. 18 June 2026Dewan Rakyat Speaker confirmed that Hamzah Zainudin had resumed the role of Opposition Leader on 18 June 2026, ending Ahmad Samsuri's brief tenure in the post. According to Wikipedia, his tenure as Opposition Leader lasted approximately 28 days.⛓

Election history

• 2023Ru Rendang (Terengganu State)Won⛓
• 2023Kemaman (Parliament — By-election)Won70.1%⛓
• 2018Ru Rendang (Terengganu State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPrime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Ahmad Samsuri on his Kemaman victory and said he "portrays an image of moderation when compared to the (rest of the) PAS leadership", expressing hope that his win could lower Malaysia's political temperature.⛓
• ExpertPolitical analyst Dr Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Ahmad Samsuri's 37,220-vote majority in Kemaman indicated PAS would remain strong in Terengganu at least until the next general election.⛓
• ExpertAnalyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting told FMT that Samsuri, as a technocrat, is perceived as more neutral and has the potential to restore PN's image, but noted that whether he would be accepted by the ulama faction within PAS remained an open question.⛓
• VerifiedFactsThe Registrar of Societies (ROS) formally confirmed Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as the rightful Chairman of Perikatan Nasional following its receipt of the minutes of the PN Supreme Council meeting of 22 February 2026 and the leadership appointments of 14 March 2026.⛓
• IndustryFMT reported that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad cited Ahmad Samsuri as embodying a newer image for PAS — an aerospace engineer who studied in the UK, appears on podcasts and uses social media to connect with young, moderate Malay voters.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Ahmad Samsuri serves as Group Chairman of Terengganu Incorporated (TI Group), the state's main investment and development vehicle, in his capacity as Menteri Besar (Source: en.wikipedia.org). No additional personal business interests have been reported by credible Malaysian news outlets.