Datuk Zulkurnain Kamisan

Summary

Datuk Zulkurnain bin Kamisan is a Johor UMNO politician who has represented the Sri Medan state constituency without electoral defeat since 2013, having previously served as a Johor State Executive Councillor for Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage and later as political secretary to former Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad. He holds the UMNO Division Chief position for Parit Sulong and was retained as BN's candidate for Sri Medan in the 16th Johor State Election with polling day on 11 July 2026. His 2022 victory at Sri Medan was secured with 13,165 votes and a majority of 6,274.

Biography

Datuk Zulkurnain bin Kamisan is a Malaysian politician and member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition [1]. He has served as the Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Sri Medan continuously since 2013, making him one of the longest-serving BN assemblymen in the Batu Pahat parliamentary area [1]. He also holds the position of UMNO Division Chief for Parit Sulong [1]. Earlier in his political career, he served as Johor State Executive Councillor (Exco) under Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin, with his portfolio covering Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage [2]. In that capacity, he was publicly active on issues such as sports sponsorship incentives for Johor teams and the gazetting of heritage buildings across the state [2]. Following the 2020 change in Johor's state government, he served as political secretary to then-Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad until the 2022 Johor state election [2]. In the 2022 Johor state election held on 12 March, Zulkurnain won Sri Medan with 13,165 votes and a majority of 6,274 votes [3]. He was subsequently retained as BN's candidate for Sri Medan in the 16th Johor State Election, announced by BN Johor chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi on 24 June 2026, with polling day set for 11 July 2026 [4]. The Sri Medan constituency has 33,875 registered voters as of the 2026 election cycle [5].

Known for

Zulkurnain Kamisan is known as the incumbent ADUN for Sri Medan, Johor, having held the seat under the BN-UMNO banner without electoral defeat since 2013 [6]. He previously served on the Johor State Executive Council with responsibility for Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage under MB Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and subsequently as political secretary to MB Datuk Hasni Mohammad [2]. He is also the UMNO Division Chief for Parit Sulong, giving him organisational standing within UMNO's Johor machinery [1].

Political positions

Based on sourced public statements, Zulkurnain Kamisan has taken positions on state governance procedures, sports development, heritage conservation, and environmental awareness. While serving as Johor Exco for Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage, he advocated for special incentives — including tax exemptions and branding rights — to attract corporate sponsorship for Johor sports teams, and highlighted the need to study and gazette historic buildings before owners carried out renovations [2]. He also publicly acknowledged the challenge of raising public environmental awareness, citing river pollution as a persistent concern [2]. In May 2026, in his capacity as Sri Medan ADUN, he stated publicly that a special DUN sitting is not required for the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, reflecting a procedural stance on constitutional conventions [7]. No sourced positions on federal policy matters such as cost of living, housing, or education were found within the allowlist for this profile.

Political career

1. May 2013First elected as ADUN for Sri Medan under BN-UMNO in the 13th General Election.⛓
2. 2013–2018Served as Johor State Executive Councillor for Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage under Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin.⛓
3. July 2013As Johor Youth, Sports and Heritage Exco, led state effort to gazette heritage buildings and urged owners of historic structures to register with the government before renovation or demolition.⛓
4. April 2016As Johor Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage committee chairman, announced special incentives including tax exemptions and VVIP passes to attract corporate sponsorship for Johor sports teams.⛓
5. April 2017As Johor Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman, publicly highlighted low public environmental awareness and the challenge of river pollution in Johor.⛓
6. May 2018Re-elected as ADUN for Sri Medan in the 14th General Election under BN-UMNO.⛓
7. 2020–2022Served as political secretary to Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad.⛓
8. January 2021Confirmed by MB Hasni as having tested positive for Covid-19 while serving as political secretary; the MB's office in Kota Iskandar was temporarily closed for sanitisation.⛓
9. 12 March 2022Re-elected ADUN for Sri Medan in the 2022 Johor state election with 13,165 votes and a majority of 6,274.⛓
10. May 2026As Sri Medan ADUN, stated publicly that a special DUN sitting is not required for the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, commenting ahead of the dissolution announcement.⛓
11. 24 June 2026Named as BN's candidate for Sri Medan seat in the 16th Johor State Election, announced by BN Johor chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.⛓

Election history

• 2026Sri MedanPending⛓
• 2022Sri MedanWon⛓
• 2018Sri MedanWon⛓
• 2013Sri MedanWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsZulkurnain Kamisan has been the ADUN for Sri Medan since 2013, served as Johor State Exco under MB Mohamed Khaled Nordin, served as political secretary to MB Datuk Hasni Mohammad (2020–2022), and won the 2022 Johor state election at Sri Medan with a 6,274-vote majority. He is contesting the 16th Johor State Election (July 11, 2026) as BN-UMNO's candidate for the same seat.⛓
• GovernmentBN Johor chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi retained Zulkurnain Kamisan as BN's candidate for Sri Medan in the 16th Johor State Election, as part of a slate described by Bernama as combining experienced incumbents and new faces to defend all 56 state seats.⛓
• OppositionSri Medan's 2026 contest is a three-cornered fight, with Ahmad Rosdi Bahari (PN-PAS) as the incumbent from 2022 — who lost to Zulkurnain at the 2022 polls — challenging him, while Hishamuddin Ishak represents PH-PKR. Multiple news outlets note Sri Medan is described as a 'BN stronghold', signalling that opposition parties view unseating the incumbent as a challenge.⛓