Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah

Summary

Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah is the BERSATU Member of Parliament for Langkawi (P004) and State Chairman of BERSATU Kedah, elected in the November 2022 general election after defeating former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with a majority of 13,518 votes. Prior to entering elected politics, he had a long career in business as founder and managing director of Bursa-listed telecommunications company Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd, from which he resigned upon taking his parliamentary seat. He sits in the Dewan Rakyat as an opposition MP under the Perikatan Nasional coalition and has previously served two terms as a Senator representing Kedah between 2014 and 2020.

Biography

Datuk Mohd Suhaimi bin Abdullah (born 15 July 1955; Wikipedia — note: Wikidata records an inconsistent date of 15 July 1966, which conflicts with contemporaneous media reporting his age as 64 in late 2022) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Langkawi (P004) since November 2022, representing BERSATU under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. He is also the State Chairman of BERSATU Kedah, a position he has held since 2020 when he replaced Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir in that role [2]. Prior to his election to the Dewan Rakyat, Suhaimi served as a Senator representing Kedah in two consecutive terms: from May 2014 to May 2017, and from August 2017 to August 2020 [1]. He was formerly a member of UMNO, which he left on 28 November 2018 to join BERSATU [1]. In the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022, Suhaimi made his electoral debut at the Langkawi parliamentary seat, defeating four candidates — including former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of PEJUANG — with a majority of 13,518 votes and a total of 25,463 votes [3]. Before entering elected politics, Suhaimi founded Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd in 1995, a telecommunications infrastructure services company listed on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market, and served as its Group Managing Director from March 2006 until his resignation in January 2023 upon assuming his parliamentary role [4]. As at the company's 2024 annual report, he retained an 11.23% direct shareholding in Silver Ridge [4].

Known for

Suhaimi is known for defeating former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Langkawi parliamentary seat in GE15, ending Mahathir's decades-long association with the constituency [5]. He has been an active voice in parliament on issues specific to Langkawi, including tourism, stray dog management, and drug abuse, and serves as BERSATU's state chairman for Kedah [6]. He drew public attention in October 2023 when he made a remark in the Dewan Rakyat directed at Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, for which he subsequently issued a formal apology to the House [7].

Political positions

As an opposition MP under the Perikatan Nasional bloc, Suhaimi has focused his parliamentary contributions on Langkawi-specific issues. He has consistently raised the problem of stray and wild dogs on the island, arguing it poses a threat to tourism and public safety, and proposed designating one of Langkawi's 99 islands as a dedicated shelter [8]. He has also spoken in the Dewan Rakyat about the dangers of drug abuse, using personal testimonies to advocate for stronger government intervention [7]. He has publicly stated his intention to continue the development legacy left by Dr Mahathir in Langkawi [9]. As BERSATU Kedah chairman, he has spoken about the need to strengthen party membership and voter outreach ahead of the 16th General Election [2].

Before politics

1. 1995Founded Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd, a telecommunications infrastructure services company that would later be listed on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market.⛓
2. March 2006Appointed Group Managing Director of Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd, a position he held until his resignation in January 2023.⛓

Political career

1. 30 May 2014Elected by the Kedah State Legislative Assembly as Senator representing Kedah in the Dewan Negara for his first term, while still a member of UMNO.⛓
2. 15 August 2017Re-elected as Senator representing Kedah for a second term in the Dewan Negara.⛓
3. 28 November 2018Left UMNO and joined BERSATU (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia).⛓
4. August 2020Concluded his second Senate term. Subsequently appointed as BERSATU Kedah State Chairman, replacing Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir in the role.⛓
5. 19 November 2022Won the Langkawi parliamentary seat in GE15 under the Perikatan Nasional ticket, receiving 25,463 votes for a majority of 13,518, defeating four other candidates including former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.⛓
6. 4 January 2023Resigned as Group Managing Director of Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd, citing personal interest, upon taking up his role as Member of Parliament.⛓
7. 25 April 2023Bursa Malaysia Securities publicly reprimanded Silver Ridge Holdings and four directors, including Suhaimi in his former capacity as MD, and imposed a RM25,000 fine on him for late disclosure of a material contract.⛓
8. 9 November 2023Issued a formal apology in the Dewan Rakyat for remarks made during the Budget 2024 debate on 26 October 2023 that were directed at Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.⛓
9. February 2025Re-confirmed as BERSATU Kedah State Chairman following the party's leadership appointment ceremony presided over by BERSATU President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Petaling Jaya.⛓

Election history

• 2022Langkawi (P004)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• OppositionAs BERSATU Kedah State Chairman and Langkawi MP under Perikatan Nasional, Suhaimi represents the opposition bloc in the Dewan Rakyat, actively raising constituency-specific issues such as tourism management, stray animals, and drug abuse, while building party strength ahead of the next general election.⛓
• ExpertWafiq president Prof Dr Rafidah Hanim Mokhtar stated, according to the New Straits Times, that strong action needed to be taken against the Langkawi MP for his sexist remarks in parliament, characterising them as sexual harassment.⛓
• VerifiedFactsBursa Malaysia Securities confirmed on 25 April 2023 that it had publicly reprimanded Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd and four of its directors, including Suhaimi in his former capacity as Group Managing Director, and imposed a RM25,000 fine on him for breaching ACE Market Listing Requirements on timely disclosure of material information.⛓
• PublicAccording to Berita Harian, grassroots BERSATU members in Langkawi rejected Suhaimi's nomination to contest the Langkawi seat ahead of GE15, though he was ultimately fielded as the PN candidate by the party's central leadership.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

According to The Edge Malaysia, Suhaimi founded Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd, a telecommunications infrastructure services company, in 1995 and served as its Group Managing Director from March 2006 until his resignation on 4 January 2023, which the company attributed to him wishing to 'pursue personal interest'. As of Silver Ridge's 2024 annual report, he remained a substantial shareholder with an 11.23% direct stake in the company (Source: theedgemalaysia.com). His two sons, Syauqat and Syakur, and daughter Satila held executive director positions at Silver Ridge following his departure from management, though Syauqat and Syakur resigned from their executive roles in June 2026 (Source: freemalaysiatoday.com).

Notable legal history

In April 2023, Bursa Malaysia Securities publicly reprimanded Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd and four of its directors — including Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah in his former capacity as Group Managing Director — for breaching the Bursa Malaysia Securities ACE Market Listing Requirements. According to Malaysiakini, Suhaimi was fined RM25,000, arising from Silver Ridge's failure to make an immediate announcement of a letter of award worth RM20.64 million received from Telekom Malaysia on 4 May 2021, which was disclosed approximately five months late. This regulatory action was finalised and publicly announced by Bursa Malaysia on 25 April 2023. (Sources: malaysiakini.com; theedgemalaysia.com; freemalaysiatoday.com; malaymail.com)