Maliaman Kassim

Summary

Maliaman bin Kassim (born 3 February 1963) is the PAS assemblyman for Ajil, Terengganu, and has held the seat since May 2018, winning re-election in 2023. He serves as Terengganu's State EXCO chairman for Welfare, Women, Family Development and National Unity under Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar. He is noted in electoral records for having won the smallest majority in Terengganu's electoral history when he first captured the Ajil seat in 2018.

Biography

Maliaman bin Kassim (born 3 February 1963) is a Malaysian politician and teacher who has served as Member of the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Ajil constituency since May 2018, representing the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. He is noted in electoral records as the holder of the smallest winning majority in the history of Terengganu state elections, and reportedly in the history of Malaysian elections broadly, having won the Ajil seat by an extraordinarily narrow margin in 2018 [1]. He was re-elected to the Ajil seat in the 2023 Terengganu state election held on 12 August 2023, in which the PN coalition swept all 32 seats in the state assembly [1]. Following the 2023 election, Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar appointed Maliaman as a member of the State Executive Council (EXCO), assigned the portfolio of Welfare, Women, Family Development and National Unity [2]. Prior to entering electoral politics, Maliaman worked as a teacher [1]. In June 2023, he received a state honour conferred by Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu [3]. His constituency of Ajil is located within Hulu Terengganu district, a rural inland area that is periodically affected by flooding and landslides.

Known for

Maliaman Kassim is recognised for holding the smallest winning majority in the electoral history of Terengganu and reportedly Malaysia, having first won the Ajil seat in May 2018 by a razor-thin margin [1]. He serves as the Terengganu State EXCO chairman for Welfare, Women, Family Development and National Unity, making him the state government's chief executive voice on social welfare, women's issues, and national unity policy [2]. He has been consistently visible in disaster response, including personally accompanying flood aid missions in Hulu Terengganu [2].

Political positions

As EXCO chairman for Welfare, Women, Family Development and National Unity, Maliaman has publicly addressed issues including underage marriage, welfare of persons with disabilities, and family policy. In November 2024, he disclosed to the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly that 53 underage marriages involving female teenagers had been recorded since 2022, citing prevention of pregnancy out of wedlock and promiscuity as reasons cited for such marriages [2]. In August 2025, he oversaw the launch of the Portal Jodoh Darul Iman (PJDI), a state-run matchmaking platform aimed at increasing marriage rates and birth rates among Muslim residents of Terengganu, with an initial target of 500 participants [4]. On welfare matters, he coordinated state government responses to natural disasters in the Ajil constituency and broader Terengganu area, including landslides and flooding [4]. His portfolio places him broadly within the PAS-led PN state government's priorities of social stability, family formation, and community welfare aligned with Islamic values.

Before politics

1. Before 2018Maliaman Kassim worked as a teacher prior to entering elected politics.⛓

Political career

1. May 2018Maliaman Kassim contested and won the N24 Ajil seat in the Terengganu state election held concurrently with the 14th Malaysian general election, winning by the smallest majority recorded in Terengganu's electoral history.⛓
2. February 2022While leading a flood aid mission to Hulu Terengganu, the lorry carrying Maliaman Kassim and 13 Civil Defence Force members was swept away by strong currents near Sungai Kampung Lebak; all were rescued by boat approximately 15 minutes later.⛓
3. August 2023Maliaman Kassim was re-elected to the N24 Ajil seat in the 15th Terengganu state election, in which PN won all 32 state seats.⛓
4. 16 August 2023Maliaman Kassim was appointed as a member of the Terengganu State Executive Council (EXCO), holding the portfolio of Welfare, Women, Family Development and National Unity under Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.⛓
5. August 2025In his capacity as EXCO chairman, Maliaman oversaw the launch of Portal Jodoh Darul Iman (PJDI), a state government matchmaking portal targeting unmarried Muslim residents of Terengganu, aimed at increasing marriage and birth rates.⛓

Election history

• 2023N24 Ajil, TerengganuWon⛓
• 2018N24 Ajil, TerengganuWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMaliaman Kassim holds the record for the smallest winning majority in Terengganu's electoral history, having first won the Ajil seat in May 2018 by a razor-thin margin, as noted by Wikipedia citing electoral records.⛓
• GovernmentThe PN state government under Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar appointed Maliaman as EXCO chairman for Welfare, Women, Family Development and National Unity following the 2023 state election, reflecting his role as the state's chief policy executor on social welfare matters.⛓
• PublicLadang assemblyman Zuraida Md Noor, serving as deputy chairman of the Welfare, Women's Development, Family and National Unity Committee, indicated she would work with Maliaman as the EXCO portfolio holder to ensure Terengganu women's voices are heard at the state level.⛓
• AffectedFlood and disaster victims in Hulu Terengganu have received direct assistance coordinated by Maliaman, including during the February 2022 floods when hundreds of residents stranded on high ground were confirmed safe following his communication with relief teams.⛓