Zahir Hassan

Summary

Zahir bin Hassan (born 24 March 1959) is the PKR Member of Parliament for Wangsa Maju (P116, W.P. Kuala Lumpur), elected in GE15 with a majority of 20,696 votes. A registered engineer holding a Master's in Disaster Risk Management, he chairs a parliamentary monitoring committee overseeing DBKL's 2026 infrastructure budget and serves as PKR's Chief Organising Secretary. He has been a vocal backbencher on judicial appointment reform, MACC governance, and constitutional amendments, while maintaining his PKR membership amid intra-party tensions.

Biography

Zahir bin Hassan (born 24 March 1959) is a Malaysian engineer-politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Wangsa Maju (P116, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) since November 2022 [1]. He stands under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner as a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). His official parliamentary listing carries the professional titles Ir. (registered engineer) and Ts. (technologist) [2]. He holds a Master's degree in Disaster Risk Management from the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [3]. Within PKR, Zahir previously served as Chairman of the Federal Territories division and has served as the party's Chief Organising Secretary since July 2022 [1]. Prior to contesting Wangsa Maju, he served as PKR branch chief for Titiwangsa [4]. In the 15th General Election held on 19 November 2022, he won the Wangsa Maju seat with a majority of 20,696 votes [3]. In the current parliamentary term, he chairs the Flood Mitigation, Road Maintenance and Slope Management Monitoring Committee, overseeing over RM355 million in DBKL infrastructure allocations for 2026 [5]. As a government backbencher, he has been publicly associated with a group of PKR MPs who have called for greater parliamentary oversight on judicial appointments, the AG-PP separation bill, anti-corruption agency governance, and foreign worker recruitment transparency [6][7][5].

Known for

Zahir Hassan is known as a PKR government backbencher who has consistently advocated for stronger parliamentary oversight over judicial appointments, anti-corruption agency governance, and constitutional reform. He chairs a parliamentary monitoring committee overseeing DBKL infrastructure spending covering flood mitigation and road maintenance in Kuala Lumpur [5]. He has also been publicly associated with a group of PKR MPs aligned with former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli on institutional reform issues, while stating he remains a member of PKR [8][6].

Political positions

Zahir Hassan has taken public positions on several governance and institutional reform issues. On judicial appointments, he was among ten PKR MPs who called for a parliamentary special select committee to scrutinise the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No 2) 2026 separating the roles of the Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor, arguing that Parliament should play a more meaningful role in confirmation [6]. He co-signed a joint statement proposing a bipartisan parliamentary screening process for nominees to senior judicial posts, including open hearings [7]. On anti-corruption governance, he publicly stated that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had assured him that MACC chief Azam Baki's contract would not be extended, and he participated in events calling for MACC accountability [6]. On foreign worker recruitment, he co-signed a call to halt the proposed TURAP system pending transparency reforms [5]. On intra-party matters, he acknowledged coordination difficulties with the Wangsa Maju PKR division [6] and contested (unsuccessfully) for the Wangsa Maju PKR division chief position in the 2025 party elections [6].

Education

1. Post-2000sCompleted a Master's degree in Disaster Risk Management at the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.⛓

Political career

1. Pre-2022Served as PKR Branch Chief for Titiwangsa prior to contesting Wangsa Maju in GE15.⛓
2. July 2022Appointed as Chief Organising Secretary of PKR.⛓
3. 19 November 2022Won the Wangsa Maju parliamentary seat (P116) in the 15th General Election (GE15) under the Pakatan Harapan (PKR) banner with a majority of 20,696 votes.⛓
4. February 2026Appointed as chair of the parliamentary Flood Mitigation, Road Maintenance and Slope Management Monitoring Committee, overseeing RM355 million in DBKL's 2026 budget allocation.⛓
5. 24 February 2026Among ten PKR MPs who publicly called on the government to refer the AG-PP separation constitutional amendment bill to a parliamentary special select committee.⛓
6. 19 May 2026Clarified via Facebook post that his attendance at a political direction programme held by Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi was to honour an invitation, and stated he respects their decision to leave PKR while maintaining his own party membership.⛓
7. 29 June 2026Co-signed a call by seven MPs urging the government to halt implementation of the proposed TURAP foreign worker recruitment platform over transparency concerns.⛓

Election history

• 2022Wangsa Maju (P116)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh indicated the party would advise and negotiate with MPs including Zahir Hassan who attended Rafizi Ramli's political direction event, stating PKR MPs should carry the party's vision when serving their constituencies.⛓
• OppositionPKR division chiefs from Johor called for the suspension of nine MPs including Zahir Hassan, alleging their calls for an RCI on judicial appointments breached party discipline and cast a negative light on the prime minister's leadership.⛓
• VerifiedFactsZahir Hassan won the Wangsa Maju (P116) seat at GE15 on 19 November 2022 with a majority of 20,696 votes under the Pakatan Harapan (PKR) banner. He holds professional designations Ir. and Ts. and chairs a parliamentary monitoring committee overseeing RM355 million in DBKL infrastructure spending for 2026.⛓