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Azbi Salleh

Party
PAS · Malaysian Islamic Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Kuala Besut
State
Terengganu
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Why this matters to you

As the ADUN for Kuala Besut, Azbi Salleh is the elected representative responsible for channelling constituents' concerns — including flood relief, infrastructure upkeep, and trader welfare — into the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly (Source: sinarharian.com.my; sinarharian.com.my). Kuala Besut is the main embarkation point for the Perhentian Islands, meaning his advocacy on jetty safety, waste management, and tourism regulation directly affects the livelihoods of local boat operators, resort workers, and traders dependent on the tourism economy (Source: bernama.com; utusan.com.my). Residents of Kuala Besut and surrounding villages in the Besut district who face annual monsoon flooding and storm damage rely on him as their primary contact point for disaster coordination and state government assistance (Source: malaymail.com; thestar.com.my).

Summary

Azbi Salleh is the PAS assemblyman for N1 Kuala Besut in Terengganu, having won the seat in the August 2023 state election with a majority of 4,119 votes after narrowly losing the same seat to UMNO in GE14 (2018). His win formed part of PN's historic sweep of all 32 Terengganu state seats. As ADUN, he has been active in raising constituency issues in the Terengganu DUN, including flood preparedness, building regulation at Pulau Perhentian, and tourism infrastructure along the Kuala Besut coastline.

Biography

Azbi Salleh (also known as Haji Azbi) is a Malaysian politician from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) who serves as the Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) for N1 Kuala Besut in the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly. He was first fielded as a PAS candidate for the Kuala Besut state seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018, where he narrowly lost to the incumbent BN-UMNO assemblyman Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman by a majority of only 143 votes, polling 7,983 votes (38.5%) compared to Tengku Zaihan's 8,126 votes (39.1%) [1]. Following his GE14 defeat, Azbi served as the Kuala Besut state constituency coordinating officer for PAS, actively responding to community issues including storm damage affecting residents in the Besut district [2]. He was again nominated as the Perikatan Nasional (PN)-PAS candidate for the N1 Kuala Besut seat in the Terengganu State Election (PRN) on 12 August 2023 [3]. In that election, Azbi won with 11,496 votes (42.6%), defeating the same BN-UMNO incumbent by a majority of 4,119 votes, in a contest that formed part of PN's historic clean sweep of all 32 Terengganu DUN seats [4]. He was sworn in as ADUN Kuala Besut for the 15th term of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly in September 2023 [5]. As ADUN, he has raised questions in the DUN on matters including flood preparedness in the monsoon season and tourism infrastructure at Pulau Perhentian [6].

Known for

Azbi Salleh is known as the PAS assemblyman for Kuala Besut who succeeded in wresting the seat from UMNO in the 2023 Terengganu state election after a narrow loss in GE14 (2018). He is associated with constituency-level advocacy on disaster response, building safety, and the upkeep of tourism infrastructure serving the Perhentian Islands gateway at Kuala Besut. His 2023 victory was part of PN's unprecedented clean sweep of all 32 Terengganu state seats [7].

Political positions

Based on publicly reported DUN activity, Azbi Salleh has focused on practical constituency matters within his PAS-PN alignment. He has raised questions in the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly regarding the state government's flood preparedness during the monsoon season, pushing for information on drainage maintenance and flood-warning systems [3]. He has also advocated for regulatory compliance in the tourism sector, calling for investigations into unauthorised construction at Pulau Perhentian and urging local authorities to enforce building approval requirements [5]. On tourism infrastructure, he has questioned the state government on jetty safety and waste management at Pulau Perhentian, reflecting a focus on Kuala Besut's role as the main gateway to the Perhentian Islands [8]. No broader positions on federal policy issues have been reported in allowlist sources, as Azbi Salleh is a state rather than federal legislator.

References

  1. [1]election.thestar.com.my
  2. [2]malaymail.com; thestar.com.my
  3. [3]sinarharian.com.my
  4. [4]sinardaily.my; utusan.com.my
  5. [5]utusan.com.my
  6. [6]sinarharian.com.my; bernama.com
  7. [7]utusan.com.my; sinardaily.my
  8. [8]bernama.com

Political career

  1. April 2018PAS Terengganu announced Azbi Salleh as a new candidate for the N1 Kuala Besut state seat in GE14, one of 15 new faces fielded by the party at state level.⛓
  2. May 2018Azbi Salleh contested N1 Kuala Besut under PAS in GE14, obtaining 7,983 votes (38.5%) and losing by a majority of 143 votes to incumbent BN-UMNO's Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman.⛓
  3. July 2022As Kuala Besut state constituency coordinating officer, Azbi Salleh coordinated response to storm damage affecting 140 families across multiple villages in the Besut district.⛓
  4. July 2023Nominated as the PN-PAS candidate for N1 Kuala Besut in the 2023 Terengganu state election (PRN), scheduled for 12 August 2023.⛓
  5. August 2023Won the N1 Kuala Besut seat in the 2023 Terengganu state election with 11,496 votes (42.6%), defeating BN-UMNO's Tengku Zaihan by a majority of 4,119 votes, as part of PN's clean sweep of all 32 Terengganu DUN seats.⛓
  6. September 2023Sworn in as ADUN Kuala Besut for the 15th term of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly at Wisma Darul Iman.⛓

Election history

  • 2023N1 Kuala BesutWon42.6%⛓
  • 2018N1 Kuala BesutLost38.5%⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2022PAS
    • Fortunately, there were no casualties.

      Azbi Salleh, then serving as Kuala Besut state constituency coordinating officer, commenting to Bernama on storm damage affecting 140 families across the Besut district. · Source

    • We are in the process of gathering information on the number of families affected because some victims have not lodged a report with their respective Village Development and Security Committees (JPKK).

      Azbi Salleh, as Kuala Besut state constituency coordinating officer, commenting to Bernama on a storm that destroyed more than 60 houses in seven Besut villages. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsAzbi Salleh won N1 Kuala Besut in the 2023 Terengganu state election with 11,496 votes (42.6%) on a PN-PAS ticket, defeating incumbent BN-UMNO's Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman (7,377 votes, 27.3%) by a majority of 4,119. He had previously lost the same seat to the same incumbent by 143 votes in GE14 (2018).⛓
  • VerifiedFactsPN won all 32 Terengganu state seats in the 2023 election — 27 by PAS and 5 by Bersatu — leaving the assembly with no elected opposition representative.⛓
  • AffectedA representative of Kuala Besut Farmers' Market traders stated that their appeal against a forced relocation was resolved after it received the attention of the Besut District Council and ADUN Azbi Salleh.⛓
  • GovernmentA Terengganu state exco minister responded to a DUN oral question by Azbi Salleh (PAS-Kuala Besut) on flood preparedness, confirming that 132 hydrological stations and 17 flood-warning sirens are monitored across Terengganu, and that 449 flood-risk hotspots have been identified.⛓
  • GovernmentThe Terengganu state government, responding to Azbi Salleh's DUN question, confirmed receipt of RM3.1 million from the Ministry of Finance to upgrade and repair jetties at Pulau Perhentian, describing Kuala Besut as a key international tourism gateway.⛓

Sources

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