Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan

Summary

Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan is UMNO's Working Secretary and the President of the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM), as well as a Vice President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia. In June 2026, he was named Barisan Nasional's candidate for the Dewan Undangan Negeri Benut seat (N53, Johor) in the 16th Johor State Election scheduled for 11 July 2026, his first electoral contest. The Benut seat is a straight fight between Mohd Sumali and PH-Amanah's Abd Razak Ismail, with BN holding the seat since 2008.

Biography

Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan is the Working Secretary (Setiausaha Kerja) of UMNO Malaysia and the President of the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM). He serves as Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate for the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Benut seat (N53, Johor) in the 16th Johor State Election, scheduled for 11 July 2026 [1]. His candidacy was announced on 24 June 2026 by Johor BN chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi at the Johor UMNO liaison office, replacing long-serving incumbent Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, the former Johor Menteri Besar, who was not fielded [2]. The Benut seat carries a registered electorate of approximately 28,798 voters, with BN holding a majority of 5,859 votes at the 2022 state election [3]. The 2026 contest is a straight fight between Mohd Sumali (BN-UMNO) and Abd Razak Ismail (PH-Amanah) [4]. This is Mohd Sumali's first appearance as a candidate in any state or general election [5]. In the sports administration sphere, he was first elected PSM president for the 2022–2025 term uncontested, then retained the presidency for 2025–2028 uncontested in June 2025 [6]. In April 2025, he was elected as a Vice President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) with 80 votes [4]. He also served as chair of ISTAF's special committee to develop the world ranking calculation system for sepak takraw, introduced at the 2024 ISTAF World Cup [4].

Known for

Mohd Sumali Reduan is known within UMNO as the party's Working Secretary (Setiausaha Kerja), a senior administrative post he has held at least since 2020 [7]. Outside politics, he is a prominent figure in Malaysian sepak takraw governance, serving as President of the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM) since 2022 and as a Vice President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia from April 2025 [4]. His nomination for the Benut DUN seat in the 2026 Johor state election marks his debut as an electoral candidate [3].

Political positions

As UMNO's Working Secretary, Mohd Sumali Reduan's publicly documented statements have primarily concerned internal UMNO party administration matters. He has on record defended UMNO's administrative processes, including clarifying that party correspondence requires official reference numbers and debunking viral misinformation about party membership actions against prominent figures [8]. He also clarified the party's convention hall decoration practices in response to comments by former UMNO leaders [3]. In the context of the SRC International civil suit involving UMNO, he stated that funds received by the party were treated as donations that had already been spent, while denying the party had received any complaints or claims before the matter was raised publicly [9]. No detailed legislative or policy positions on issues such as housing, education, healthcare, or the economy have been publicly attributed to him in sources on the allowlist, as he has not previously held elected office.

Before politics

1. Before 2020Mohd Sumali Reduan rose through UMNO's administrative structure, eventually holding the position of UMNO Executive Secretary (Setiausaha Eksekutif), which was later styled as Working Secretary (Setiausaha Kerja).⛓
2. February 2022Mohd Sumali was confirmed as the new President of the Malaysian Sepaktakraw Association (PSM) for the 2022–2025 term, winning the position uncontested after the sole rival candidate withdrew. He had previously served as President of the Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Sepaktakraw Association (Persewip).⛓
3. March 2024Mohd Sumali, as PSM president, was appointed by ISTAF to chair a special committee to develop the world ranking calculation system for sepak takraw, which was introduced at the 2024 ISTAF World Cup in May 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.⛓
4. April 2025As UMNO Working Secretary, Mohd Sumali stated publicly that funds received by UMNO linked to the SRC International civil suit were treated as donations that had already been spent, and that the party had not received any complaints or claims before the matter was raised.⛓
5. June 2025Mohd Sumali retained his position as PSM President for the 2025–2028 term, winning the post uncontested with 21 nominations.⛓
6. November 2024Mohd Sumali, as PSM president, did not rule out contesting the presidency of the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF), stating his focus remained on grassroots sepak takraw development in Malaysia.⛓

Political career

1. 2020Mohd Sumali, serving as UMNO Executive Secretary, publicly denied a viral letter claiming UMNO was supporting Anwar Ibrahim for Prime Minister, stating that official UMNO letters require a reference number which was absent from the circulating document.⛓
2. June 2021As UMNO Working Secretary, Mohd Sumali denied reports of a meeting between UMNO ministers and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, stating to Malaysiakini that no such meeting was taking place.⛓
3. May 2023As UMNO Working Secretary, Mohd Sumali responded to statements by former UMNO Vice President Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein regarding the display of former UMNO leaders' portraits at the National Unity Government Convention, clarifying that such portraits are only displayed at the UMNO General Assembly.⛓
4. April 2025Mohd Sumali was elected as a Vice President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) at the 44th OCM Annual General Meeting, receiving 80 votes and finishing among the top five elected vice presidents.⛓
5. 24 June 2026Johor BN chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced Mohd Sumali as BN's candidate for the Benut DUN seat (N53) in the 16th Johor State Election, replacing long-serving incumbent Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad. This is Mohd Sumali's first electoral contest.⛓
6. 27 June 2026Nomination day for the 16th Johor State Election confirmed a straight fight at Benut between Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan (BN-UMNO) and Abd Razak Ismail (PH-Amanah).⛓

Election history

• 2026Benut (N53), JohorPending⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMohd Sumali Reduan is UMNO's Working Secretary and PSM President. He is BN's first-time candidate for Benut (N53) in the 2026 Johor state election, replacing Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad who held the seat since 2008. The Benut constituency has 28,798 registered voters and the 2022 BN majority was 5,859 votes.⛓
• GovernmentJohor BN chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced Mohd Sumali's candidacy, describing him as one of BN's new bets to retain influence in the Benut area. The candidacy announcement was made at the UMNO Johor state liaison office on 24 June 2026.⛓
• ExpertSinar Harian reported that Mohd Sumali is seen as one of BN's new bets to retain influence in the Benut area, making his first appearance as a candidate in this election. The seat was previously held by Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, the former Johor Menteri Besar, since the 2008 general election.⛓