Amirudin Shari

Summary

Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (born 1980) is a PKR politician who has served as the 16th Menteri Besar of Selangor since June 2018 and as MP for Gombak since the November 2022 general election, where he defeated former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali with a majority of 12,729 votes. He holds concurrent leadership roles as PKR Vice President and Pakatan Harapan Selangor State Chairman, making him one of the most senior PKR figures outside the federal cabinet. His tenure as Menteri Besar has focused on economic growth — Selangor's GDP reached RM460.1 billion in 2025 — alongside state fiscal management and, more recently, Malaysia's humanitarian engagement on the Palestinian issue.

Biography

Datuk Seri Amirudin bin Shari (born 8 February 1980) is a Malaysian politician serving as the 16th Menteri Besar of Selangor since June 2018, Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Sungai Tua since May 2018, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Gombak since November 2022 [1]. He grew up in Pontian, Johor, received his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Benut, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Social Science from Universiti Putra Malaysia [1]. After university, he worked as programme coordinator at Institut Kajian Dasar, an NGO focused on civil society development [1]. He joined PKR's youth wing actively from 2004 and built his early career managing party logistics and communications [1]. He first won the Batu Caves state seat in the 2008 general election, helping Pakatan Rakyat defeat Barisan Nasional in Selangor for the first time [1]. He retained the Batu Caves seat in 2013, and in 2014 was appointed to the Selangor State Executive Council under Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, overseeing Youth Development, Sports, Cultural and Entrepreneurship Development [1]. He was sworn in as Menteri Besar on 19 June 2018 following Azmin Ali's appointment as a federal minister [2]. In November 2022's GE15, he entered federal politics by winning the Gombak parliamentary seat with 72,267 votes, defeating his former political mentor Azmin Ali by a majority of 12,729 votes [3]. He also serves as Vice President of PKR since July 2022 and PH State Chairman for Selangor since March 2020 [1]. He is married to Masdiana Muhamad and has six children [1].

Known for

Amirudin Shari is defined politically by his dual role as both Selangor Menteri Besar and MP for Gombak — a combination that gives him simultaneous state executive authority and a federal parliamentary mandate. He is recognised for overseeing Selangor's economic growth, with the state recording a GDP of RM460.1 billion in 2025, accounting for 26.5% of Malaysia's national economy [4]. He is also known for winning the Gombak seat in GE15, ousting his former political mentor Azmin Ali by over 12,000 votes [5].

Political positions

On economic management, Amirudin has stated that sustaining manufacturing and services industries is a priority to protect job opportunities and household income, describing this as maintaining a 'dignified economy' [4]. On state finances, he has maintained that Selangor's revenue collection trajectory remains healthy and does not require emergency measures even amid global uncertainty, with the state targeting RM2.8 billion in revenue for 2026 [6]. On foreign policy and humanitarian issues, he has been publicly vocal on the Palestinian cause: he led Malaysia's Emergency Aid Mission to Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 delegation in April 2026, and in May 2026 announced that Malaysia was preparing legal action against Israel following reported abuse of flotilla activists [7]. On constitutional monarchy and rule of law, he has consistently stated that the Selangor government adheres to unity, moderation, and respect for the constitutional monarchy, while warning against selective or politicised invocations of loyalty to the royal institution [5]. On digital transformation, he has positioned the shift to a digitalised services sector as a key economic strategy for Selangor [4].

Education

1. Late 1990sGraduated with a Bachelor's degree in Social Science from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); was actively involved in student activism and known as a skilled debater during his campus days.⛓

Before politics

1. Early 2000sWorked as programme coordinator at Institut Kajian Dasar (Institute for Policy Research), an NGO dedicated to civil society development. Received special training on electoral campaign management under Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Berlin and Munich, Germany.⛓

Political career

1. March 2008Won the Batu Caves state seat in the 12th General Election (GE12) under the Pakatan Rakyat banner, defeating MIC's Mohan Thangarasu with a majority of 3,639 votes. This was part of the historic Pakatan Rakyat sweep of Selangor from Barisan Nasional.⛓
2. May 2013Retained the Batu Caves state seat in GE13 with 55.03% of popular votes and a majority of 3,261, in a high voter turnout of 85.7%.⛓
3. September 2014Appointed Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO), overseeing Youth Development, Sports, Cultural and Entrepreneurship Development, under new Menteri Besar Azmin Ali.⛓
4. May 2018Won the Sungai Tua state seat in GE14, retaining a seat in the Selangor State Assembly under a new constituency.⛓
5. 19 June 2018Sworn in as the 16th Menteri Besar of Selangor at Istana Alam Shah, Klang, before Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, succeeding Azmin Ali who had been appointed federal minister.⛓
6. March 2020Appointed State Chairman of Pakatan Harapan Selangor, taking on a broader coalition leadership role in the state.⛓
7. July 2022Elected Vice President of PKR in the 2022 party elections, securing 46,075 votes — the highest among Vice President candidates, placing him third in the overall party hierarchy.⛓
8. 19 November 2022Won the Gombak parliamentary seat in GE15 with 72,267 votes (majority of 12,729), defeating former mentor and three-term MP Azmin Ali, who contested under the Perikatan Nasional banner. This was a five-cornered contest with 80% voter turnout from 206,744 registered voters.⛓
9. April 2026Led Malaysia's Emergency Aid Mission to Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 delegation as the government's representative, carrying 30 containers comprising 374 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza.⛓

Election history

• 2022Gombak (P.098) — ParliamentWon43.7%⛓
• 2018Sungai Tua (N.20) — Selangor StateWon⛓
• 2013Batu Caves (N.22) — Selangor StateWon55.03%⛓
• 2008Batu Caves (N.22) — Selangor StateWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that Amirudin was selected to lead Malaysia's Emergency Aid Mission to Gaza because the mission requires large-scale aid logistics and negotiations with the Egyptian government, and his role was described as crucial to its success.⛓
• VerifiedFactsAccording to the NST and Sinar Daily, Amirudin won 72,267 votes in GE15 Gombak — a five-cornered fight with an 80% voter turnout from 206,744 registered voters — defeating Azmin Ali (59,538 votes) by a majority of 12,729.⛓
• VerifiedFactsBernama reported that Selangor's GDP grew to RM460.1 billion in 2025, with Amirudin stating that the growth surpassed projections by UPM and the Selangor Research Institute, raising the state's contribution to Malaysia's national GDP from 26.2% to 26.5%.⛓
• OppositionWikipedia notes that Amirudin's tenure as Menteri Besar drew questions from critics over plans to demolish and rebuild Shah Alam Stadium, excision and development of the Shah Alam Community Forest, plans to quarry part of Bukit Lagong forest reserve, and land parcels granted within the Batu Caves reserve.⛓
• PublicFMT reported that Amirudin denied speculation he would vacate his Sungai Tua state seat for Tengku Zafrul, calling such claims empty talk based on the 'wild imagination' of certain individuals seeking to spread a narrative via social media.⛓