Mohamad Hanifah Abu Baker

Summary

Mohamad Hanifah Abu Baker is the BERSATU assemblyman for Labu, Negeri Sembilan, first elected in the 2023 state election with a 1,640-vote majority. He serves as State Leader of the Opposition and State Chairman of BERSATU Negeri Sembilan, having previously held the Negeri Sembilan PN chairmanship until his resignation in January 2026. He came to prominence beyond state borders in April–May 2026 when he led PN's Negeri Sembilan bloc in a shifting stance during a state-level political crisis involving UMNO's withdrawal of support for the Menteri Besar.

Biography

Mohamad Hanifah bin Abu Baker (born 16 October 1980) is a Malaysian politician and businessman serving as Member of the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Labu since August 2023 [1]. He is a member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), a component of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, and holds the position of Division Chief of Rasah [1]. He has served as State Chairman of BERSATU Negeri Sembilan since January 2024 [1]. He was appointed State Leader of the Opposition of Negeri Sembilan on 21 March 2024, succeeding Gemas MLA Ridzuan Ahmad [2]. Prior to his first electoral contest, Hanifah began community groundwork in the Rasah area from 2020, including welfare programmes and assistance packages during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he credited as a key factor in his 2023 victory [3]. In the 2023 Negeri Sembilan state election, he defeated defending PH assemblyman Ismail Ahmad by a majority of 1,640 votes to win the Labu seat [1]. He was subsequently named the 3rd State Chairman of BERSATU Negeri Sembilan in January 2024 and the 3rd State Chairman of PN Negeri Sembilan in February 2024, replacing Ahmad Faizal Azumu [1]. On 30 December 2025, Hanifah resigned as Negeri Sembilan PN chairman, effective 1 January 2026, following the resignation of PN president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin [4]. In April 2026, he represented all five PN Negeri Sembilan assemblymen in declaring readiness to cooperate with 14 Barisan Nasional state lawmakers amid a state political crisis, before later reversing this stance [5]. He is also reported to be managing director of the real estate company Zulfikar Holdings Sdn Bhd [1].

Known for

Hanifah is known as the State Leader of the Opposition in the Negeri Sembilan State Assembly, a role he has held since March 2024, and as the State Chairman of BERSATU Negeri Sembilan. He made his electoral debut in the 2023 Negeri Sembilan state election, winning the Labu seat for PN. He drew wider attention in April–May 2026 when he led PN's five state assemblymen in initially offering to cooperate with UMNO-BN during a Negeri Sembilan state political crisis, before subsequently reversing that position.

Political positions

Hanifah has positioned himself as a proponent of structured party governance, resigning as Negeri Sembilan PN chairman in January 2026 in explicit deference to the organisational hierarchy of PN following Muhyiddin Yassin's resignation as national PN chairman [6]. During the April 2026 Negeri Sembilan political crisis, he initially advocated for PN cooperation with UMNO-BN to maintain state government stability, publicly stating that PN's five assemblymen were prepared to work with the 14 UMNO assemblymen to 'ensure the stability of the state government and continuity of the state government's administration' [2]. He subsequently revised this position, citing the people's interests and a perceived inconsistency between UMNO's central and state leaderships [7]. On party discipline, he stated that 'no individual is bigger than the party and all members are subject to the party constitution' when confirming the dismissal of a Bersatu member in March 2026 [8]. No publicly sourced statements on specific policy portfolios such as housing, education, or healthcare were found across the allowlist at the time of drafting.

Before politics

1. 2020Began active community groundwork and welfare assistance in the Rasah area, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he later credited as foundational to his 2023 electoral win.⛓

Political career

1. August 2023Won the Labu state seat in the 2023 Negeri Sembilan state election for PN-BERSATU, defeating incumbent Pakatan Harapan assemblyman Ismail Ahmad by a majority of 1,640 votes in his electoral debut.⛓
2. 28 January 2024Named the 3rd State Chairman of BERSATU Negeri Sembilan, replacing Ahmad Faizal Azumu.⛓
3. 12 February 2024Appointed the 3rd State Chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN) Negeri Sembilan, also succeeding Ahmad Faizal Azumu.⛓
4. 21 March 2024Appointed State Leader of the Opposition of Negeri Sembilan, taking over from Gemas MLA Ridzuan Ahmad.⛓
5. 30 December 2025Resigned as Negeri Sembilan PN chairman, effective 1 January 2026, following the resignation of PN national chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.⛓
6. 27 April 2026Represented all five PN Negeri Sembilan assemblymen in declaring readiness to cooperate with 14 UMNO-BN assemblymen amid the Negeri Sembilan state political crisis, handing a letter of cooperation to Negeri Sembilan UMNO secretary.⛓
7. 4 May 2026Reversed his stance on the Negeri Sembilan political crisis, withdrawing support for a BN-led state government after citing the people's interests and inconsistency between UMNO's central and state leaderships.⛓

Election history

• 2023Labu (N20), Negeri SembilanWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMohamad Hanifah won the Labu seat in his 2023 electoral debut with a majority of 1,640 votes, defeating the incumbent PH assemblyman. He has served as State Leader of the Opposition since March 2024 and as BERSATU Negeri Sembilan chairman since January 2024.⛓
• GovernmentNegeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun stated that he respected the stance of Mohamad Hanifah and Gemas assemblyman Ridzuan Ahmad, who remained neutral in the state political impasse and prioritised the interests of the state.⛓
• OppositionMohamad Hanifah stated that the prolonged Negeri Sembilan leadership crisis affected the effectiveness of the state administration and disrupted governance, and criticised the Menteri Besar for failing to manage the crisis responsibly.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

According to Wikipedia, Hanifah is the managing director of Zulfikar Holdings Sdn Bhd, described as a real estate-based company (Source: en.wikipedia.org). No further details on the scope or scale of this business were found in allowlist sources at the time of drafting.