TopicsPolitician AnalysisMohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar

Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar

Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar

Party
PKR · People's Justice Party
Coalition
PH
Constituency
Semerah
State
Johor
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Summary

Mohd Khuzzan bin Abu Bakar is a PKR politician and former Johor State Assemblyman for Semerah (2018–2022) who served as a state EXCO member under two Pakatan Harapan Menteris Besar, holding portfolios covering youth, sports, culture, heritage, and health. A banking professional by background with over 14 years at Bank Muamalat, he has since been appointed Deputy Chairman of TalentCorp Malaysia. He is the PH-PKR candidate for Semerah in the 16th Johor State Election scheduled for 11 July 2026.

Biography

Mohd Khuzzan bin Abu Bakar (born 15 November 1968) is a Malaysian politician and member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. Before entering politics, he accumulated over 14 years of experience at Bank Muamalat Malaysia [2]. He was first elected as the Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Semerah in the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018, defeating the BN incumbent by a majority of only 98 votes [3]. Following the GE14 PH victory in Johor, he was appointed to the Johor State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteris Besar Osman Sapian and later Sahruddin Jamal, serving in portfolios covering youth, sports, culture and heritage, and subsequently health, culture and heritage [4]. His tenure as EXCO ended when the PH Johor state administration collapsed in February 2020 [1]. He contested the 2022 Johor State Election for Semerah but lost to BN's Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid by a majority of 4,041 votes [5]. In June 2024, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) [2]. In 2026, he was named the PH-PKR candidate for Semerah in the 16th Johor State Election, with polling day set for 11 July 2026 [3].

Known for

Mohd Khuzzan is known for his role as the Johor State EXCO member overseeing youth, sports, culture and heritage, and later health, culture and heritage under the PH Johor administration from 2018 to 2020 [4]. He is also recognised for his narrow 98-vote margin victory in GE14 at Semerah, one of the tightest results in the 2018 Johor state contests [3]. Since 2024, he has been active in Malaysia's national talent development agenda as Deputy Chairman of TalentCorp [2].

Political positions

During his time as Johor EXCO, Mohd Khuzzan advocated for the development of youth infrastructure, including plans to establish e-sports arenas in every Johor district as part of a broader sports development agenda [6]. He championed volunteerism and community-based programmes, encouraging corporate participation in the state's Youth Volunteer Platform [3]. In his capacity overseeing health and environment matters, he coordinated the state government's emergency response to the Pasir Gudang air pollution incidents in 2019, directing authorities to inspect air quality and manage the public health situation [6]. At TalentCorp, he has publicly promoted workforce diversity and inclusive hiring practices, framing these as essential to Malaysia's economic competitiveness and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals [6]. His 2022 campaign for Semerah included pledges to develop a high-tech industrial area, improve telecommunications and internet access, upgrade traffic infrastructure, and position Semerah as an eco-tourism and heritage destination [7].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]bernama.com
  3. [3]malaymail.com
  4. [4]freemalaysiatoday.com
  5. [5]bharian.com.my
  6. [6]thestar.com.my
  7. [7]prn.bernama.com

Before politics

  1. Pre-2018Served for over 14 years at Bank Muamalat Malaysia before entering electoral politics.⛓

Political career

  1. May 2018Won the Semerah state seat in GE14 under the PH-PKR banner with a majority of 98 votes over BN's Mohd Ismail Roslan, with 12,619 votes (35.5% vote share).⛓
  2. May 2018Sworn in as a member of the Johor State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Osman Sapian, chairing the Committee for Youth, Sports and Culture.⛓
  3. April 2019Retained in the Johor EXCO under newly sworn-in Menteri Besar Sahruddin Jamal, serving in the reshuffled lineup with the Health, Culture and Heritage portfolio.⛓
  4. June 2019As state EXCO for Health, Culture and Heritage, coordinated the Johor government's response to the Pasir Gudang air pollution incident, directing air quality inspections and emergency operations.⛓
  5. February 2020Tenure as Johor State EXCO ended following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state administration.⛓
  6. March 2022Contested the 2022 Johor State Election for Semerah under PH-PKR but lost to BN's Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, who won by a majority of 4,041 votes. Khuzzan received 6,265 votes.⛓
  7. June 2024Appointed Deputy Chairman of Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) under the Ministry of Human Resources.⛓
  8. June 2026Named PH-PKR candidate for Semerah in the 16th Johor State Election by PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim. Polling day set for 11 July 2026.⛓
  9. 27 June 2026Formally nominated as PH candidate for Semerah at the nomination centre at Dewan Seri Mahkota, MRSM Batu Pahat, for a three-cornered contest against BN incumbent Fared Khalid and PN's Halim Kepol.⛓

Election history

  • 2026Semerah (Johor State)Pending⛓
  • 2022Semerah (Johor State)Lost22.4%⛓
  • 2018Semerah (Johor State)Won35.5%⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2024PKR
    • Promoting workforce diversity involves overcoming challenges like limited resources, unconscious bias, and a lack of true inclusion.

      Mohd Khuzzan spoke as TalentCorp Deputy Chairman at the Life at Work Awards 2024 launch in Kuala Lumpur. · Source

  2. 2019PKR
    • I deny that I received a luxury condominium from a local businessman as reported in the Malay Mail newspaper.

      Mohd Khuzzan issued a public statement responding to social media allegations about a luxury condo unit. · Source

  3. Undated
    • Most importantly, is the effort to turn Semerah and Batu Pahat in general as an eco-tourism, heritage and food destination.

      Mohd Khuzzan outlined his campaign platform for the 2022 Johor State Election while contesting Semerah. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • GovernmentBernama reported that Human Resources Minister Steven Sim welcomed Mohd Khuzzan's appointment as TalentCorp Deputy Chairman, stating that his experience would be pivotal in advancing Malaysia's talent ecosystem.⛓
  • OppositionMalay Mail reported that a group of roughly 20 people claiming to be PKR members from the Parit Sulong division protested Mohd Khuzzan's re-nomination for Semerah at the 2022 candidate announcement, objecting when his name was announced by party president Anwar Ibrahim.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsMultiple sources — Bernama, Berita Harian, Sinar Harian, and Harian Metro — confirm that the 2022 Semerah winner was BN's Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid with a majority of 4,041 votes, and that Mohd Khuzzan has been renominated for the seat in the 2026 Johor State Election.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Bernama reported that Mohd Khuzzan has over 14 years of experience at Bank Muamalat Malaysia before entering politics, where he was subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman of TalentCorp in June 2024 (Source: bernama.com/en/news.php/news.php?id=2307314). No business directorships or shareholdings have been reported by allowlist sources.

Sources

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

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