Kamal Ashaari · Politician profile · CERAP

Why this matters to you

As MP for Kuala Krau — a rural constituency spanning Temerloh, Jerantut, and Maran districts — Kamal Ashaari's parliamentary questions directly affect the livelihoods of farmers, livestock breeders, and Orang Asli communities in Pahang, particularly through his scrutiny of subsidy distribution under the PADU system and agricultural input costs such as livestock feed (Source: bernama.com, thestar.com.my). His questions on fiscal policy, including whether the government will reintroduce GST, are relevant to the cost of living of all Malaysian consumers, as any change in taxation policy would affect retail prices nationwide (Source: thestar.com.my, bernama.com). His focus on the socio-economic development of Orang Asli communities, STEM education, and youth social media safety also signals his portfolio priorities for residents who depend on government programmes in an underserved rural electorate (Source: thestar.com.my).

Summary

Kamal bin Ashaari (born 28 May 1970) is a PAS politician and the Member of Parliament for Kuala Krau, Pahang, having won the seat in GE15 (November 2022) under the Perikatan Nasional coalition after an unsuccessful first attempt in GE14 (2018). He holds academic qualifications from three universities, including Universiti Al-Azhar in Egypt, and previously held senior roles within PAS including as COO of Harakah and Deputy Permanent Chairman of PAS Central. In Parliament, he has been an active questioner on issues covering fiscal policy, agriculture, education, Orang Asli welfare, and social media regulation.

Biography

Kamal bin Ashaari (born 28 May 1970) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuala Krau (P087), Pahang, since November 2022 [1]. He is a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. Kamal holds academic qualifications from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin in Terengganu in Entrepreneurship and Business (EMEBI), Universiti Islam Negara Sultan Sharif Kasim (UIN Suska) in Riau, and Universiti Al-Azhar in Egypt [2]. Prior to his election to Parliament, he held several senior positions within PAS, including Deputy Permanent Chairman of PAS Central, Permanent Chairman of the Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia (DPPM), Exco of Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia, Director of the Treasury Department of DPPM, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Harakah, Deputy Youth Division Chief (TYDP) of PAS Kuala Krau, and Chief of the PAS Kuala Kerdau Branch [2]. He first contested the Kuala Krau parliamentary seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018 under PAS, where he received 15,182 votes but was defeated by the incumbent Barisan Nasional candidate [3]. He successfully won the seat in GE15 in November 2022, representing Perikatan Nasional under PAS, receiving 22,505 votes with a majority of 1,024 over the nearest BN-UMNO candidate [3]. The Kuala Krau constituency spans parts of the Temerloh, Jerantut, and Maran Districts in Pahang [1].

Known for

Kamal Ashaari is known as a PAS backbencher who regularly raises questions in the Dewan Rakyat on economic, agricultural, social, and educational issues affecting rural Pahang constituents [4][5]. He has been an active voice in parliament on matters such as the potential reintroduction of GST, targeted subsidy reform, livestock feed costs, and the welfare of Orang Asli communities [4][5]. He served in multiple PAS party leadership and administrative roles before entering Parliament, including as COO of PAS's official newspaper Harakah [2].

Political positions

Based on his parliamentary questions on record, Kamal Ashaari has raised scrutiny over the government's fiscal strategy, including whether it intends to reintroduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as an additional revenue source beyond tax collection and targeted subsidy implementation [4][5][6]. He has questioned the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry on plans to address a 25% rise in livestock feed costs driven by imported raw materials, and the potential use of palm kernel feed to stabilise prices [4]. He has interrogated the effectiveness of the PADU central database system in ensuring fair and accurate subsidy distribution [5][7]. On education, he has asked about the government's measures to reverse declining STEM enrolment [4] and whether universities plan to introduce wellbeing indices measuring student morals, emotional literacy, and mental health [4]. He has also raised questions on social media regulation for minors [6], the socio-economic development of Orang Asli communities through the Jakoa Human Capital Development Programme and rural digitalisation [4], Malaysia's national self-defence capability development [4], and the processing of citizenship applications by the Home Ministry [4]. In November 2024, he delivered an emotional speech during the debate on the Supply Bill 2025, urging fellow MPs to act with empathy and referencing unresolved cases such as the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim and the late Teo Beng Hock [4].

References

Education

Pre-2022Graduated from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu with a degree in Entrepreneurship and Business (EMEBI); also studied at Universiti Islam Negara Sultan Sharif Kasim (UIN Suska) in Riau, Indonesia, and Universiti Al-Azhar in Egypt.⛓

Before politics

Pre-2022Served in multiple PAS leadership roles including Deputy Permanent Chairman of PAS Central, Permanent Chairman of Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia (DPPM), Exco of Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia, Director of the Treasury Department of DPPM, COO of Harakah, Deputy Youth Division Chief (TYDP) of PAS Kuala Krau, and Chief of PAS Kuala Kerdau Branch.⛓

Political career

May 2018Contested the Kuala Krau parliamentary seat (P087) in GE14 under PAS, receiving 15,182 votes (32.1% vote share). Lost to BN-UMNO's Datuk Sri Ismail Mohamed Said, who won with a majority of 2,876 votes.⛓
November 2022Won the Kuala Krau parliamentary seat (P087) in GE15 under Perikatan Nasional (PAS), receiving 22,505 votes (37.2% vote share) with a majority of 1,024 over BN-UMNO's Ismail Mohamed Said. Took his seat in the 15th Parliament on 19 November 2022.⛓

Election history

2022Kuala Krau (P087)Won37.2%⛓
2018Kuala Krau (P087)Lost32.1%⛓

Stance evolution

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

2024PAS
- There are many phrases related to our hearts, such as berhati-hati (be careful), sakit hati (upset), makan hati (offended). This shows how important our heart is in valuing and doing good.
  Kamal Ashaari said this during the debate on the Supply Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat, delivering an emotional speech urging fellow MPs to act with greater empathy in decision-making. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

VerifiedFactsKamal Ashaari won the Kuala Krau (P087) seat in GE15 on 19 November 2022 under PAS/PN with 22,505 votes and a majority of 1,024, having previously contested and lost the same seat in GE14 (2018).⛓
VerifiedFactsHe is listed as the sitting MP for Kuala Krau under the PN bloc on the official Parliament of Malaysia member list.⛓
OppositionAs a PN-opposition MP under the current Madani government, Kamal Ashaari has used parliamentary question time to scrutinise government fiscal policies, including the GST question and the effectiveness of the PADU subsidy targeting system.⛓
GovernmentGovernment ministries have responded to Kamal Ashaari's parliamentary questions on issues including PADU data integration for subsidy distribution, Orang Asli development programmes, and the government's plans on livestock feed costs.⛓

Sources

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