Hassan Saad

Summary

Ustaz Hassan bin Saad is the PAS Member of Parliament for Baling (P016), Kedah, having won the seat in GE15 (November 2022) under the Perikatan Nasional banner with a majority of 29,137 votes. He serves as the Yang Dipertua (Divisional Chairman) of PAS Kawasan Baling and sits in the 15th Parliament as part of the opposition PN bloc. He had previously contested Baling in GE14 (2018) under PAS but was unsuccessful.

Biography

Ustaz Hassan bin Saad is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Baling (P016), Kedah, since November 2022 [1]). He is a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and sits within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in the 15th Parliament [1]). Hassan holds the position of Yang Dipertua (Divisional Chairman) of PAS Kawasan Baling, which indicates a long-standing organisational role within the party at the constituency level [2]. He was reported to be 65 years of age at the time of the GE15 polling day in November 2022, placing his approximate year of birth around 1957 [3]. Hassan first contested the Baling parliamentary seat under the PAS banner in GE14 (2018) but was unsuccessful, with Berita Harian later describing his GE15 victory as a redemption of that earlier defeat [4]. In GE15 on 19 November 2022, he won the Baling seat under the PN banner, securing 48.8% of the vote — 64,493 votes — against three other candidates, with a majority of 29,137 [5]. His main challenger was the incumbent Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim of BN-UMNO, who obtained 26.8% (35,356 votes) [5]. Hassan is listed on the official Parliament of Malaysia portal as the sitting MP for P016 Baling under the PN parliamentary group [6].

Known for

Hassan Saad is known as the Yang Dipertua of PAS Kawasan Baling who ended the long tenure of incumbent Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim in the 2022 general election, riding the PN wave that swept 13 of 14 Kedah parliamentary seats [2]. He is also associated with a politically contentious episode in November 2022, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim issued a letter of demand against him over a viral audio clip that allegedly linked Anwar to Israeli influence — claims Hassan publicly denied [7].

Political positions

Hassan Saad represents PAS, a party whose platform is grounded in Islamic governance principles. No specific policy positions attributed directly to Hassan Saad in parliamentary debates or public statements have been independently sourced from the allowlist domains at the time of this profile's compilation. His party affiliation and divisional chairmanship within PAS Kawasan Baling indicate alignment with PAS's broader positions on religion, governance, and Malay-Muslim interests. His public statements on record relate primarily to his denial of involvement in the viral audio clip controversy of November 2022 [8].

Political career

1. 2018Contested P016 Baling parliamentary seat for PAS in GE14 but was unsuccessful. Berita Harian later described his GE15 victory as a redemption of this defeat.⛓
2. November 2022Won P016 Baling parliamentary seat in GE15 under Perikatan Nasional (PAS) with 64,493 votes (48.8%) and a majority of 29,137, defeating incumbent Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim of BN-UMNO.⛓
3. 19 November 2022Officially became Member of Parliament for Baling (P016), listed under the Perikatan Nasional parliamentary group in the 15th Malaysian Parliament.⛓

Election history

• 2022Baling (P016)Won48.8%⛓
• 2018Baling (P016)Lost35%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's legal team issued a letter of demand to Hassan Saad in November 2022, seeking either a public denial of involvement in or an unconditional apology for a viral audio clip alleged to have been posted via his Twitter account, which claimed Israeli influence in Anwar's appointment as the 10th Prime Minister.⛓
• OppositionHassan Saad denied any involvement with the viral audio recording, stating he did not know who the woman in the recording was and had never raised the issue of Israel in connection with Anwar Ibrahim during any GE15 campaign ceramah.⛓
• VerifiedFactsHassan Saad won P016 Baling in GE15 with 48.8% of the vote (64,493 votes) and a majority of 29,137, defeating BN-UMNO incumbent Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim who received 26.8% (35,356 votes). He is listed as the sitting MP for P016 Baling on the official Parliament of Malaysia portal under the PN parliamentary group.⛓
• ExpertLawyers for Liberty (LFL) publicly criticised what it described as the use of police powers against Hassan Saad in a matter where the complainant — then-Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim — was an interested party, arguing this raised questions about the administration of justice.⛓