Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar

Summary

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is a PAS politician and aerospace engineer who has served as Terengganu's Menteri Besar since 2018, making him one of the state's most enduring elected leaders in the current era. He simultaneously holds the Ru Rendang state seat and the Kemaman federal parliamentary seat, and chairs the Perikatan Nasional opposition coalition as of February 2026. His background in aerospace engineering and academia distinguishes him from PAS's traditional clerical leadership, giving the party a technocratic public profile at both state and federal levels.

Biography

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar (born 16 November 1970, Jerteh, Besut, Terengganu) is a Malaysian politician and aerospace engineer serving as the 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu, the Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ru Rendang since May 2018, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kemaman since December 2023 [1]. He is also a vice-president of PAS and has served as chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN) since February 2026 [2]. Before entering politics, he held a PhD in Aeroengine Ignition and Combustion from the University of Leeds (2001), an MSc in Combustion and Energy from the same institution (1996), and a BEng in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (1993) [3]. He worked as a quality assurance engineer at Hitachi Consumer Products, a researcher at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and an associate professor and head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), before serving as a political secretary to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang from 2008 to 2018 [1]. He first contested and won the Ru Rendang state seat in the 2018 general election, was appointed Menteri Besar on 10 May 2018, and retained the seat with a 17,286-vote majority in the August 2023 Terengganu state election [2]. In December 2023, he won the Kemaman parliamentary by-election, defeating former Chief of Defence Forces Raja Mohamed Affandi by a majority of 37,220 votes [1]. He was appointed PN chairman on 22 February 2026 and briefly served as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament from 16 May to 13 June 2026 [4].

Known for

Ahmad Samsuri is known for bringing a technocratic, engineering-trained profile to PAS and Malaysian opposition politics — a departure from the party's traditional clerical leadership [3]. He is the longest-serving Menteri Besar of Terengganu's current PAS administration, overseeing two consecutive state mandates including PN's clean sweep of all 32 Terengganu state seats in 2023 [3]. At the federal level, he heads the Perikatan Nasional coalition and holds the Kemaman parliamentary seat, positioning him as the principal opposition voice on national legislative matters [2].

Political positions

Ahmad Samsuri operates within PAS's framework of Islamic governance while projecting a policy-oriented, technocratic approach. He has overseen Terengganu's state economic development through Terengganu Incorporated (TI Group), including pursuit of MoUs in the oil and gas, renewable energy, healthcare and tourism sectors [2]. FMT reported that he engaged with Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on potential collaboration in tourism and renewable energy [5]. As PN chairman, he has stated his aim to create political consensus for Malaysians across diverse religions, races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, and to consolidate the coalition ahead of the 16th general election [6]. He has emphasised that decisions on PN's status and direction must go through the coalition's constitutional channels and cannot be made unilaterally [6]. He resigned as PN treasurer in December 2024, citing a strategic decision to strengthen the coalition ahead of GE16 [6].

Education

1. 1983–1988Attended Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Mahmud, Kuala Terengganu.⛓
2. 1993Graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.⛓
3. 1996Obtained a Master of Science in Combustion and Energy from the University of Leeds.⛓
4. 2001Awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Aeroengine Ignition and Combustion (High Altitude Engine Failure) from the University of Leeds.⛓

Before politics

1. 1993–1994Worked as a quality assurance engineer at Hitachi Consumer Products.⛓
2. 1994–1995Served as a research officer in the Faculty of Engineering at Universiti Sains Malaysia.⛓
3. 2001–2008Served as a lecturer (2001–2006) and associate professor and head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering (2003–2008) at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).⛓
4. 2006Represented Malaysia at the NASA International Conference in Washington, D.C., leading Malaysian public university technical delegations to aerospace agencies.⛓

Political career

1. 2008–2018Served as political secretary to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.⛓
2. May 2018Won the Ru Rendang state seat in the 14th General Election and was appointed as the 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu on 10 May 2018, after PAS won 22 of 32 state seats.⛓
3. August 2023Retained the Ru Rendang state seat in the 2023 Terengganu state election with a 17,286-vote majority. PN won all 32 Terengganu state seats. Sworn in as Menteri Besar for a second term on 15 August 2023.⛓
4. December 2023Won the Kemaman parliamentary by-election, defeating former Chief of Defence Forces Raja Mohamed Affandi of BN by a majority of 37,220 votes, and became MP for Kemaman.⛓
5. December 2024Resigned as PN treasurer, citing the decision as strategic ahead of the 16th General Election.⛓
6. February 2026Unanimously appointed chairman of Perikatan Nasional, succeeding Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who resigned effective 1 January 2026.⛓
7. May–June 2026Appointed as the 18th Leader of the Opposition in the Dewan Rakyat on 16 May 2026. The appointment was terminated on 13 June 2026 after 28 days, with Hamzah Zainudin succeeding him following the RESET Malaysia Convention. He did not attend a parliamentary session during his tenure.⛓

Election history

• 2023Ru Rendang (Terengganu State)Won85.2%⛓
• 2023Kemaman (Parlimen)Won⛓
• 2018Ru Rendang (Terengganu State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• ExpertSinar Daily columnist Syaza Shukri (Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, IIUM) wrote that Ahmad Samsuri is known for his commitment to Islamic principles while retaining a non-confrontational approach, and that his style represents a divergence from typical adversarial opposition politics.⛓
• GovernmentThe Star reported that analysts noted Ahmad Samsuri's appointment as PN chairman replaced a politically seasoned figure with a technocratic one, but that the coalition still faced fundamental internal fractures.⛓
• OppositionFMT reported that Terengganu Bersatu chief Razali Idris said Samsuri would be a suitable PN chairman, describing him as not a hardline figure and noting he has the experience of governing Terengganu for two terms.⛓
• IndustryFMT reported that businesses are growing wary of PAS's growing political traction, while noting that Ahmad Samsuri's technocratic image — as an aerospace engineer who uses social media and appears on podcasts — has been cited by Dr Mahathir Mohamad as embodying a softened image of PAS.⛓
• VerifiedFactsAhmad Samsuri holds the Ru Rendang state seat (since May 2018) and the Kemaman federal parliamentary seat (since December 2023), is the 15th Menteri Besar of Terengganu and the chairman of Perikatan Nasional as of 22 February 2026. He briefly served as Leader of the Opposition from 16 May to 13 June 2026.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Ahmad Samsuri serves as Group Chairman of Terengganu Incorporated (TI Group), the Terengganu state government's strategic holding and investment company (Source: en.wikipedia.org). In this capacity, he signed MoUs with MB Holding LLC of Oman on behalf of Terengganu Inc, covering cooperation in oil and gas, energy, healthcare, tourism, manufacturing and sustainable development (Source: bernama.com). This is a government-linked role tied to his position as Menteri Besar, not a private commercial interest. No separate private business interests have been reported by allowlist news sources.