TopicsPolitician AnalysisKamarudin Md Nor

Kamarudin Md Nor

Party
BERSATU · Malaysian United Indigenous Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Air Lanas
State
Kelantan
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Why this matters to you

As the Kelantan state EXCO member for Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage, Kamarudin Md Nor has a direct role in shaping government decisions on tourism development, cultural programming, and heritage preservation in Kelantan — sectors that affect local livelihoods, small businesses, and community identity in the state (Source: sinardaily.my). His role as Kelantan BERSATU chairman also places him at the centre of ongoing political negotiations between BERSATU and PAS in the state, and the outcome of those talks — including whether he retains his EXCO seat — will determine the balance of representation within the Kelantan government for constituents who voted for PN (Source: freemalaysiatoday.com). Residents of the Ayer Lanas constituency look to him as their direct representative in the state assembly for local service delivery and infrastructure concerns.

Summary

Datuk Kamarudin Md Nor is the BERSATU Assemblyman for Ayer Lanas (N37), Kelantan, and serves as the state EXCO for Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage under the PN administration. A founding figure of BERSATU, he previously held state assembly seats under UMNO and served as the party's first Information Chief after joining BERSATU in 2016. As of mid-2026, his continued tenure in the Kelantan EXCO remains subject to ongoing negotiations following PAS's decision to sever its political cooperation with BERSATU.

Biography

Datuk Kamarudin bin Md Nor is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Ayer Lanas (N37) since August 2023 [1]. He holds the portfolio of Exco for Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) state administration under Menteri Besar Mohd Nassuruddin Daud [2]. He is also the State Chairman of BERSATU Kelantan [3]. Kamarudin began his political career in UMNO, serving as the ADUN for Semerak from 1997 to November 1999 and again from March 2004 to March 2008 [1]. He left UMNO in 2016 and joined BERSATU in the same year, becoming the party's 1st and founding Information Chief from September 2016 to September 2018 [1]. He contested the Pasir Puteh parliamentary seat in the 2018 general election under BERSATU but was unsuccessful [1]. In the 2023 Kelantan state election, he stood as a PN candidate for Ayer Lanas and won, subsequently being appointed to the state EXCO [4][2]. In June 2026, following PAS's decision to end its political cooperation with BERSATU, his status as the sole BERSATU EXCO member in the Kelantan government came under review, with Kamarudin stating he would defer to the Menteri Besar's decision [5].

Known for

Kamarudin Md Nor is known as the Kelantan State Chairman of BERSATU and as the sole BERSATU representative in the Kelantan state EXCO, holding the Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage portfolio [2][5]. He is a founding figure of BERSATU, having served as the party's first Information Chief from 2016 to 2018 [1]. His position in the Kelantan government came under scrutiny in June 2026 when PAS announced it was severing political ties with BERSATU [5].

Political positions

Kamarudin Md Nor has navigated the intersection of BERSATU's national party structure and PAS's dominance in Kelantan's state government. As Kelantan BERSATU chairman, he has consistently maintained that decisions on party and coalition matters should be deferred to central party leadership, reflecting an institutional approach to intra-coalition management [5]. Following PAS's June 2026 decision to cut ties with BERSATU nationally, Kamarudin stated he would continue carrying out his EXCO duties as normal pending a decision from the Menteri Besar, framing the PAS-BERSATU split as a party matter separate from state administration [5]. No publicly sourced positions on specific policy issues such as economic development, education, or healthcare have been identified from allowlist sources.

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]sinardaily.my
  3. [3]thestar.com.my
  4. [4]bernama.com
  5. [5]freemalaysiatoday.com

Political career

  1. 1997Elected as Member of the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly for Semerak under UMNO.⛓
  2. November 1999Lost the Semerak state seat; term as ADUN for Semerak ended.⛓
  3. March 2004Re-elected as ADUN for Semerak under UMNO.⛓
  4. March 2008Term as ADUN for Semerak ended; did not retain the seat.⛓
  5. 2016Left UMNO and joined BERSATU in the same year.⛓
  6. September 2016Appointed as the 1st and founding Information Chief of BERSATU.⛓
  7. September 2018Tenure as BERSATU Information Chief ended.⛓
  8. 2018Contested the Pasir Puteh parliamentary seat under BERSATU in the 14th general election; lost.⛓
  9. August 2023Elected as ADUN for Ayer Lanas (N37) under PN/BERSATU in the 2023 Kelantan state election.⛓
  10. August 2023Appointed as Kelantan state EXCO member for Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage under Menteri Besar Mohd Nassuruddin Daud.⛓
  11. June 2026PAS announced the end of its political cooperation with BERSATU nationally; Kamarudin's status as sole BERSATU EXCO member in the Kelantan government came under review. He stated he would defer to the Menteri Besar's decision.⛓

Election history

  • 2023Ayer Lanas N37 (Kelantan State)Won⛓
  • 2018Pasir Puteh (Parliament)Lost⛓
  • 2008Semerak (Kelantan State)Lost⛓
  • 2004Semerak (Kelantan State)Won⛓
  • 1999Semerak (Kelantan State)Lost⛓
  • 1997Semerak (Kelantan State)Won⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2026BERSATU
    • I will leave it to the menteri besar, as the head of the state government, and the Bersatu leadership to decide on my position.

      Kamarudin speaking to Free Malaysia Today after PAS announced it was ending political cooperation with BERSATU, regarding his status as EXCO member in the Kelantan state government. · Source

    • We will only propose a replacement candidate to the Bersatu central leadership. They will decide who will be appointed as the new deputy speaker.

      Kamarudin speaking to Free Malaysia Today on Kelantan BERSATU's process for nominating a new deputy state assembly speaker following the expulsion of Kok Lanas assemblyman Farid Zawawi. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsKamarudin Md Nor is confirmed as Kelantan BERSATU State Chairman and sole BERSATU EXCO member in the Kelantan PN government, holding the Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage portfolio since August 2023.⛓
  • GovernmentDeputy Kelantan Menteri Besar Fadzli Hassan confirmed that Kamarudin would continue serving in his EXCO post following PAS's decision to cut ties with BERSATU, stating the split was a party matter separate from state administration.⛓
  • OppositionPAS vice-president Amar Abdullah stated that the status of BERSATU assemblymen in PAS-led governments would be determined by the respective state administrations, leaving the question open.⛓

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

Reviewed by editorHigh confidence