TopicsPolitician AnalysisMohamad Shukor Zakariah
Mohamad Shukor Zakariah
- Party
- PAS · Malaysian Islamic Party
- Coalition
- PN
- Constituency
- Pulau Betong
- State
- Pulau Pinang
Why this matters to you
As the opposition ADUN for Pulau Betong — a constituency covering Balik Pulau and the southwestern coast of Penang Island — Mohamad Shukor Zakariah directly raises concerns on behalf of the area's fishing communities and residents in the Penang State Legislative Assembly, including questions on Silicon Island's impact on livelihoods and compensation payments for fishermen (Source: malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/05/13). For residents of Pulau Betong, particularly fishermen and those near Teluk Kumbar, his assembly questions have brought scrutiny to state government decisions on foreign worker accommodation and large-scale coastal development that affect daily life (Source: thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/11/18). As an opposition assemblyman, he has no executive power in the state government but serves as a formal check on state administration through the assembly's question-and-answer process.
Summary
Mohamad Shukor bin Zakariah is a PAS politician and Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly for Pulau Betong, elected in August 2023 under the Perikatan Nasional banner. He sits in the opposition in a Pakatan Harapan-governed state and has used his assembly platform to raise questions on fishermen's welfare amid the Silicon Island reclamation project and community concerns over foreign worker housing in Teluk Kumbar. Public information on his personal background, education, and pre-political career was not available from allowlist sources at the time of this profile.
Biography
Mohamad Shukor bin Zakariah is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Pulau Betong since August 2023 [1]. He is a member of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which sits as a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. He won the Pulau Betong seat in the 2023 Penang state election held on 12 August 2023, defeating the incumbent Mohd Tuah Ismail of PKR-Pakatan Harapan with 9,534 votes (40.0%) against 8,483 votes (35.6%), a majority of 1,051 votes out of 23,838 registered voters [2]. He was subsequently sworn in as one of 11 opposition ADUNs in the Penang State Legislative Assembly [3]. His constituency of Pulau Betong covers a significant portion of the southwestern coast of Penang Island, including Balik Pulau and its surrounding villages, and is divided into 7 polling districts [1]). In the assembly, Mohamad Shukor has raised questions on issues affecting his constituency, including the impact of the Silicon Island reclamation project on local fishermen and rising operating costs [4], as well as the approval of a foreign workers' centralised labour quarters (CLQ) in Teluk Kumbar, an issue to which local residents expressed strong opposition [4]. No background biographical details such as education or pre-political career were available from allowlist sources at the time of this profile.
Known for
Mohamad Shukor Zakariah is known as the PAS opposition assemblyman for Pulau Betong in the Penang State Legislative Assembly since 2023, representing the PN coalition in a state governed by Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional [1]. He has drawn public attention through assembly debates on the welfare of fishermen in the context of the Silicon Island reclamation project and his opposition to a foreign workers' dormitory approval in Teluk Kumbar [4]. His assembly record reflects a focus on livelihood and community concerns in the southwest of Penang Island.
Political positions
Based on his assembly record, Mohamad Shukor Zakariah has raised concerns about the economic pressures on fishermen in his constituency, including the impact of the Silicon Island reclamation project on fish catches and rising operating costs, and has questioned the state government on compensation and ex-gratia payments owed to affected fishermen [5]. He has also challenged the Penang state government over the approval of centralised foreign worker labour quarters in Teluk Kumbar, citing community opposition to the project [4]. As a PAS member within the PN coalition, he sits in the opposition in Penang, a state where PH-BN holds a commanding majority of 29 out of 40 seats [1]. No statements on broader national policy issues were located from allowlist sources.
References
Political career
- July 2023Named as the Perikatan Nasional (PAS) candidate for the N39 Pulau Betong seat in the upcoming 2023 Penang state election.⛓
- 12 August 2023Won the Pulau Betong state seat in the 2023 Penang state election, receiving 9,534 votes (40.0%) and defeating incumbent Mohd Tuah Ismail (PKR-PH) who received 8,483 votes (35.6%), with a majority of 1,051 votes.⛓
- August 2023Sworn in as one of 11 opposition ADUNs in the 15th Penang State Legislative Assembly, representing Pulau Betong under the PAS banner.⛓
- November 2023Raised questions in the Penang State Assembly on the status of foreign worker centralised labour quarters (CLQ) projects in Teluk Kumbar, and whether the state government had plans to relocate them.⛓
- November 2025Challenged the Penang state government in assembly on the approval of a foreign workers' dormitory in Teluk Kumbar, citing strong community opposition to the project.⛓
- May 2026Questioned the Penang state government in the assembly on the fate of fishermen affected by the Silicon Island reclamation project, including rising operating costs and the status of compensation payments.⛓
Election history
- 2023N39 Pulau Betong, PenangWon40%⛓
Perspectives on key issues
- VerifiedFactsMohamad Shukor Zakariah won the Pulau Betong seat in the 2023 Penang state election with 9,534 votes (40.0%), defeating PKR incumbent Mohd Tuah Ismail (8,483 votes, 35.6%) by a majority of 1,051 votes, out of 23,838 registered voters.⛓
- VerifiedFactsMohamad Shukor Zakariah is one of 11 opposition ADUNs in the 40-seat Penang State Legislative Assembly, where PH-BN holds 29 seats following the 2023 state election.⛓
- GovernmentThe Penang state government, through EXCO member Rashidi (UMNO-Sungai Acheh), responded to Mohamad Shukor's assembly questions by stating that fish landings remain stable despite Silicon Island reclamation, that no fishermen required relocation, and that 795 eligible fishermen had received RM11.85 million in ex-gratia payments under the Social Impact Management Plan.⛓
- GovernmentOn the Teluk Kumbar foreign workers' dormitory, local government committee chairman Jason H'ng stated in assembly that once the state government approves a project, it cannot withdraw the approval halfway, and that objections must follow the formal appeal mechanism.⛓
- OppositionMohamad Shukor Zakariah raised in the Penang State Assembly that the community strongly opposes the Teluk Kumbar foreign workers' dormitory project, and questioned the state government on fishermen being squeezed by rising operating costs and development activities related to Silicon Island.⛓
Sources
Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.