Khaidirah Abu Zahar

Summary

Datuk Khaidirah Abu Zahar (born 2 March 1984) is the UMNO ADUN for Rim, Melaka, first elected in the 2021 state election, and currently serves as Deputy Chairman of the Melaka Investment, Industry and TVET Development Committee. The daughter of the late eighth Chief Minister of Melaka, she transitioned from a career in the entertainment industry to politics via Puteri UMNO, becoming the first actress elected as a Malaysian state lawmaker and the first woman appointed Deputy Speaker of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly. She holds a seat on UMNO's Supreme Council and has been active in promoting technical and vocational education and industrial investment in Melaka.

Biography

Datuk Khaidirah Abu Zahar (born 2 March 1984, Merlimau, Melaka) is a Malaysian politician, former actress, television host and director who has served as the Member of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Rim since November 2021, representing UMNO under the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition [1]. She is the daughter of the late Datuk Seri Abu Zahar Ithnin, the eighth Chief Minister of Melaka [2]. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam [1]. Before entering politics she had a career in the Malaysian entertainment industry as an actress, television host on programmes including Melodi and Fulus Mania, and later as a director [1]. She joined Puteri UMNO in August 2013, served as Puteri EXCO at the national level from 2015 to 2018, and subsequently served as Jasin Division Puteri UMNO Chief for the 2018–2021 term, winning the post unopposed [1]. She was fielded as a new BN candidate for the Rim state seat in the 2021 Melaka state election, winning with 4,037 votes and a majority of 1,327 votes in a three-cornered contest [3]. On 27 December 2021 she was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly, becoming the first woman to hold that post in the state [3]. She was subsequently appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Investment, Industry and TVET Development Committee in April 2023 under Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh's administration [4]. She is an UMNO Supreme Council member and the Jasin Division Vice Chief of UMNO [1].

Known for

Khaidirah Abu Zahar is noted as the first actress to be elected as a state lawmaker in Malaysia, winning the Rim seat in the 2021 Melaka state election under the BN banner [1]. She is also recognised as the first woman appointed as Deputy Speaker of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly [5]. At the party level, she is an UMNO Supreme Council member who contested the Puteri UMNO national chief post in the 2023 party elections [6].

Political positions

Khaidirah has publicly taken a position on governance integrity, arguing in November 2022 that any rule barring those facing corruption charges from holding government appointments should be applied uniformly across all parties in the unity government, not selectively against UMNO's so-called 'court cluster' [5]. In her role as Deputy Chairman of the Investment, Industry and TVET Development Committee, she has consistently advocated for expanding technical and vocational education and training (TVET) pathways in Melaka, emphasising the goal of producing graduates who can become entrepreneurs and job creators rather than merely job seekers [7]. She has also promoted broader industry partnerships with more than 30 companies in Melaka participating in the National Dual Training System induction courses, spanning automotive, manufacturing, electrical and electronics, and electric vehicle industries [8].

Education

1. Pre-2007Graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam.⛓

Before politics

1. 2000s–2013Built a career in the Malaysian entertainment industry as an actress, television host (Melodi, Fulus Mania, Jom Ronda with Proton) and later director, including directing the theatrical production Mencari Sumaiyah at Istana Budaya in 2016.⛓

Political career

1. 24 August 2013Submitted her Puteri UMNO membership form to the Melaka UMNO Liaison Committee Chairman, Datuk Idris Haron, formally joining the party.⛓
2. 2015–2018Served as Exco of Puteri UMNO at the national level.⛓
3. 2018–2021Elected unopposed as Jasin Division UMNO Puteri Chief for the 2018–2021 term.⛓
4. 20 November 2021Won the Rim state seat in the 2021 Melaka state election as the BN-UMNO candidate, securing 4,037 votes with a majority of 1,327 in a three-cornered contest. Became the first actress elected as a Malaysian state lawmaker.⛓
5. 27 December 2021Appointed Deputy Speaker of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly by Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the state's history.⛓
6. 11 March 2023Contested the Puteri UMNO national chief post in the 2023 UMNO party elections in a six-cornered race; placed second behind Datuk Nurul Amal Mohd Fauzi.⛓
7. April 2023Appointed Deputy Chairman of the Melaka Investment, Industry and TVET Development Committee under Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh's BN administration, relinquishing the Deputy Speaker post.⛓

Election history

• 2021Rim (N.25), MelakaWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsKhaidirah Abu Zahar won the Rim state seat in November 2021 with 4,037 votes and a majority of 1,327. She was the first actress elected as a state lawmaker and the first woman appointed as Deputy Speaker of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly. From April 2023 she serves as Deputy Chairman of Melaka's Investment, Industry and TVET Development Committee.⛓
• GovernmentAs a BN/UMNO state assemblyman and Deputy EXCO member, Khaidirah has publicly advocated for expanding TVET programmes and industrial investment in Melaka, including a Technopreneur programme aimed at turning TVET graduates into entrepreneurs and employers.⛓
• OppositionIn the 2021 Melaka state election, the Rim seat was contested by Perikatan Nasional candidate Azalina Abdul Rahman (2,710 votes) and Pakatan Harapan candidate B. Prasanth Kumar (2,163 votes), both of whom were defeated by Khaidirah's 4,037 votes.⛓
• PublicMalay Mail reported that Rim, comprising approximately 66 percent Malay voters, was cited as one of BN's rural strongholds in 2021, where face-to-face community engagement remained a key factor in electoral success.⛓