Mohd Najmuddin Elias Al-Hafiz

Summary

Datuk Mohd Najmuddin bin Elias Al-Hafiz is a retired Malaysian Army Captain and BERSATU politician who has represented the Batu Kurau state seat (N.07, Perak) multiple times — first under UMNO/BN from 2004 to 2013, and again from November 2022 under BERSATU/PN after winning GE15 with a majority of 3,218 votes. He is the older brother of Islamic preacher Datuk Mohd Kazim Elias, a connection that drew national media attention during GE15. In the Perak State Legislative Assembly, his recorded interventions have focused on rural infrastructure and agricultural development in his constituency.

Biography

Datuk Mohd Najmuddin bin Elias Al-Hafiz (born 6 June 1964) is a Malaysian politician and retired military officer serving as the Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Batu Kurau (N.07) under Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU), a component of Perikatan Nasional (PN). He is a retired Captain of the Malaysian Armed Forces [1]. He was previously a member of UMNO under Barisan Nasional (BN), representing Batu Kurau from 2004 to 2013, before returning to the seat in the 2022 general election under BERSATU [2]. In GE15 (November 2022), he secured 8,806 votes (40.0%) with a majority of 3,218 votes over the BN-UMNO candidate [3]. He is the older brother of well-known Islamic preacher Datuk Mohd Kazim Elias; Malaysiakini reported that Kazim described Mohd Najmuddin as a retired military officer [4]. Since returning to the assembly, he has been active in raising constituency matters in the Perak State Legislative Assembly, including questions on infrastructure upgrades and agricultural development in Batu Kurau [5]. No public record of his educational background was found in allowlist sources. His constituency, Batu Kurau (N.07), falls within the Larut parliamentary seat in the Larut, Matang and Selama district of Perak [4].

Known for

Mohd Najmuddin is known as a multi-term MLA for Batu Kurau, having first held the seat under UMNO/BN from 2004 to 2013 and reclaiming it in 2022 under BERSATU/PN [2]. He is also publicly recognised as the older brother of noted preacher Datuk Mohd Kazim Elias, a connection that attracted national media attention during GE15 when Kazim withdrew as a BN candidate to avoid contesting in the same constituency as his sibling [5]. As a retired Captain of the Armed Forces, he brings a military service background to his legislative role [1].

Political positions

Mohd Najmuddin's publicly recorded positions are grounded in constituency-level development. In the Perak State Legislative Assembly, he questioned the state government on the status of the Batu 14 bridge upgrade in Batu Kurau, a project subsequently confirmed at an estimated cost of RM16 million [5]. He also raised the matter of developing Batu Kurau as a durian production centre, prompting the state government to outline existing agricultural support programmes [5]. He attended a press conference alongside fellow opposition MLAs calling for Selama to be upgraded to a full district to better channel development allocations to under-served residents [6]. No broader policy statements on national issues were found in allowlist sources at the time of drafting.

Before politics

1. Before 2004Served as a Captain in the Malaysian Armed Forces before entering politics; described in BERNAMA's GE15 candidate listings as 'Capt (Rtd)'.⛓

Political career

1. March 2004First elected as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Batu Kurau under UMNO/Barisan Nasional.⛓
2. March 2008Re-elected as MLA for Batu Kurau under UMNO/Barisan Nasional in GE12.⛓
3. May 2013Lost the Batu Kurau seat in GE13; Wikipedia records his tenure ending in March 2013, with the seat subsequently held by a BN representative through GE14 (2018).⛓
4. November 2022Contested and won the Batu Kurau state seat (N.07) under BERSATU/Perikatan Nasional in GE15, securing 8,806 votes (40.0%) with a majority of 3,218.⛓
5. September 2023Raised a question in the Perak State Legislative Assembly on the Batu 14 bridge upgrade in Batu Kurau; the state government confirmed the project, estimated at RM16 million, is expected to commence by 2026.⛓
6. February 2024Raised a question in the Perak State Legislative Assembly about developing Batu Kurau as a durian production centre; the state government outlined existing agricultural support programmes in response.⛓

Election history

• 2022Batu Kurau (N.07), PerakWon40%⛓
• 2013Batu Kurau (N.07), PerakLost⛓
• 2008Batu Kurau (N.07), PerakWon⛓
• 2004Batu Kurau (N.07), PerakWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsBERNAMA's official GE15 PN candidate list identifies him as 'Capt (Rtd) Datuk Mohd Najmuddin Elias Al-Hafiz' for N.07 Batu Kurau, confirming his retired military rank and BERSATU affiliation.⛓
• VerifiedFactsThe Star's GE15 results page records Mohd Najmuddin Elias-Hafiz (PN-BERSATU) winning Batu Kurau with 8,806 votes (40.0%) and a majority of 3,218 over BN-UMNO's 5,588 votes (25.4%).⛓
• OppositionMalaysiakini reported that Mohd Najmuddin, described as a retired military officer, was fielded by PN as its Batu Kurau candidate in GE15, prompting his brother Datuk Mohd Kazim Elias to withdraw as a BN candidate for Parlimen Larut to avoid a family conflict.⛓
• GovernmentThe Star reported that the Perak state government, responding to Mohd Najmuddin's assembly question, confirmed the Batu 14 bridge upgrade in Batu Kurau is estimated at RM16 million and is expected to commence by 2026.⛓