Datuk Pandak Ahmad

Summary

Datuk Pandak Ahmad is the BN-UMNO assemblyman for Kota Iskandar (N49) in Johor's Iskandar Puteri area, having won the seat in the March 2022 Johor state election with a majority of 4,360 votes. A former Working Secretary of the Johor UMNO Liaison Body and Deputy Chief of UMNO's Iskandar Puteri Division, he has been active in the state assembly on issues ranging from the Johor-Singapore maritime border dispute to affordable housing and data centre governance. He is contesting the seat again in the 16th Johor State Election on 11 July 2026.

Biography

Datuk Pandak Ahmad is a Malaysian politician from UMNO (Barisan Nasional) who serves as the elected Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for the N49 Kota Iskandar constituency in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. Prior to his election victory in March 2022, he served as the Working Secretary (Setiausaha Kerja) of the Johor UMNO Liaison Body (Badan Perhubungan UMNO Johor), a senior administrative role within the party's state apparatus [1][2]. He has also held the post of Deputy Chief of the UMNO Iskandar Puteri Division [3][4]. In the 12 March 2022 Johor state election, Pandak defeated incumbent Dzulkefly Ahmad of Pakatan Harapan (Amanah) in a five-cornered contest, winning 23,133 votes to Dzulkefly's 18,773, a majority of 4,360 votes — a notable reversal from GE14 when the incumbent had won with a 14,543-vote majority [5][6]. As assemblyman, Pandak has been active in raising constituency concerns at the state assembly, including tabling motions on the remapping of the Johor-Singapore maritime border in the Tebrau Strait following disputes involving local fishermen and the Singapore Police Coast Guard [1][2][5]. He has also engaged with large-scale economic developments in his constituency, including data centre investments linked to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) [1][6]. Kota Iskandar is among the constituencies with the highest number of registered voters in Malaysia, with 132,579 registered voters as of the 2026 Johor state election [7]. Pandak is defending his seat in the 16th Johor State Election (PRN Johor Ke-16) scheduled for 11 July 2026 [3].

Known for

Pandak Ahmad is known for winning the Kota Iskandar state seat for BN-UMNO in the 2022 Johor state election, overturning a large Pakatan Harapan majority from GE14. He has been a vocal advocate in the state assembly on issues affecting local fishermen in the Tebrau Strait, including tabling motions on the remapping of the Johor-Singapore maritime border. He has also been a consistent voice within UMNO Johor on party unity and internal affairs.

Political positions

Pandak Ahmad has consistently advocated for the protection of local fishermen's livelihoods and national sovereignty in the Tebrau Strait, calling on both state and federal governments to redelineate the maritime boundary between Johor and Singapore following a series of disputes involving local fishermen and the Singapore Police Coast Guard [5][2][1]. He has also pushed for a maritime base at Pulau Merambong to safeguard Malaysia's territorial waters [5][8]. On economic development, he has taken a supportive stance on data centre investments in Iskandar Puteri, provided that environmental conditions are upheld, citing the need for projects to meet strict water and electricity efficiency standards [6][1]. He has advocated for a government hospital in Kota Iskandar, describing the existing Gelang Patah health clinic as inadequate for the constituency's population [4]. On intra-party matters, he has publicly supported reconciliation efforts within UMNO and called for party unity ahead of elections [5]. He also raised concerns about the procedural validity of a supplementary motion at the 2022 UMNO General Assembly (PAU), arguing it was inconsistent with the party constitution [4].

Before politics

1. Pre-2022Served as Working Secretary (Setiausaha Kerja) of the Johor UMNO Liaison Body (Badan Perhubungan UMNO Johor), a senior administrative role within the party's state structure.⛓
2. Pre-2022Served as Deputy Chief (Timbalan Ketua) of the UMNO Iskandar Puteri Division.⛓

Political career

1. 26 February 2022Nominated as BN-UMNO candidate for the N49 Kota Iskandar seat in the 15th Johor state election, contesting in a five-cornered fight.⛓
2. 12 March 2022Won the Kota Iskandar state seat for BN-UMNO, defeating incumbent Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Amanah) with 23,133 votes and a majority of 4,360 — recapturing a seat PH had held since 2018.⛓
3. March 2022Sworn in as Kota Iskandar ADUN; NST reported he paid tribute to voters and organisations in the constituency for enabling his victory.⛓
4. 7 December 2022During the Johor state assembly budget debate, raised the issue of the Johor-Singapore maritime border, calling for the state to redelineate boundaries following fishermen disputes with the Singapore Police Coast Guard in October 2022.⛓
5. January 2023Spoke at the UMNO General Assembly (PAU 2022), arguing that a supplementary motion on party leadership positions was procedurally invalid under the UMNO constitution.⛓
6. 16 August 2023Announced plans to table a formal motion in the Johor state assembly on 11 September 2023, proposing the remapping of the Malaysia-Singapore maritime border in the Tebrau Strait, following a fresh incident involving local fishermen.⛓
7. 29 November 2023At the state assembly sitting, called for a maritime base to be established at Pulau Merambong to protect national sovereignty and marine life in the Tebrau Strait.⛓
8. March 2026Engaged with ZData Technologies' data centre project in his constituency, advocating for environmental compliance and positioning Kota Iskandar within Johor's data centre investment ambitions under the JS-SEZ.⛓
9. June 2026Announced as BN-UMNO candidate to defend the Kota Iskandar seat in the 16th Johor state election (PRN Johor Ke-16), with polling scheduled for 11 July 2026.⛓

Election history

• 2026Kota Iskandar (N49)Won⛓
• 2022Kota Iskandar (N49)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentAs the sitting BN-UMNO ADUN for Kota Iskandar, Pandak Ahmad supports continued BN/unity government mandates at the state level, framing ongoing infrastructure and housing projects as reasons for voters to maintain his representation.⛓
• OppositionPakatan Harapan (Amanah), through Dzulkefly Ahmad — who won Kota Iskandar in GE14 2018 before losing it to Pandak in 2022 — is contesting the seat again in 2026, targeting the incumbent BN seat as a priority for recapture under the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency strategy.⛓
• VerifiedFactsIn the 2022 Johor state election, Pandak Ahmad received 23,133 votes against Dzulkefly Ahmad's 18,773 votes, winning by a majority of 4,360 in a five-cornered contest. Kota Iskandar had 132,579 registered voters as of the 2026 state election, one of the largest constituency electorates in Malaysia.⛓