Raja Kamarul Bahrin
Dato' Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah bin Raja Ahmad (Jawi: راج قمر البحرين شاه بن راج احمد born 14 January 1955) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020. He has served as Senator since July 2018. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuala Terengganu from May 2013 to May 2018. He is a member and State Chairman of Terengganu of the National Trust Party (AMANAH) and its coalition PH which is in opposition.[1][2]
Raja Kamarul Bahrin | |
|---|---|
| راج قمر البحرين بن راج احمد | |
| Chairman of Pakatan Harapan for Terengganu | |
| Assumed office 30 August 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2018–2020 | Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government |
| Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat | |
| 2013–2015 | Malaysian Islamic Party |
| 2015–2018 | National Trust Party |
| Faction represented in Dewan Negara | |
| 2018–2021 | Pakatan Harapan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah bin Raja Ahmad 14 January 1955 Istana Maziah, Kuala Terengganu, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) (2013–2015) National Trust Party (AMANAH) (since 2015) |
| Other political affiliations | Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2013–2015) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (since 2015) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Architect |
| Raja Kamarul Bahrin on Facebook Raja Kamarul Bahrin on Parliament of Malaysia | |
He also served as Chairman of the Hotel Association (MAH) and member of the Badan Warisan Malaysia. He was also one of the leader of Angkatan Amanah Merdeka, a defunct Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Early life and education
Raja Kamarul Bahrin was born on 14 January 1955 at Istana Maziah, Kuala Terengganu. After getting an early education at Saint John Institute, he returned to Terengganu and attended Sultan Sulaiman Secondary School (appointed as Head of Student in 1974) before pursuing his tertiary education at the University of Melbourne.
Career as architect
Raja Kamarul Bahrin is an architect who is well known for his traditional Malay-based architecture. He is popularly known as the architect of the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque or better known as the Floating Mosque, the Terengganu State Museum (Museum recognised as the largest museum in Asia), Istana Melawati (Putrajaya) and several others.
Politics
Raja Kamarul Bahrin joined the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) after he agreed to the plea by Abdul Hadi Awang, the party Terengganu state Commissioner. He was picked as the party candidate for the Kuala Terengganu federal seat for the 2013 general election on 9 April 2013 and subsequently won. He was committed to representing the voices of professionals who were ignored by the administration of the BN government and hoped his participation in politics would force the authorities to respect the views and professional society opinions more seriously.
On 21 August 2015, he was declared the chairman of the Terengganu's Gerakan Harapan Baru. On 16 September 2015, he left PAS and joined the National Trust Party (AMANAH) after the party was set up.
Personal life
In 1981, Raja Kamarul Bahrin married Jacqueline Pascarl. She was an Australian young ballet dancer then and later became a writer. They had two children, Shahirah Bahrin and Mohammed Baharuddin. Raja Bahrin later took a second wife under Islamic marital law. They divorced in 1986.
He then married a Singaporean artist and had four children.
Controversies
Child dispute with ex-wife
In 1986, Raja Kamarul Bahrin divorced Jacqueline Pascarl, an Australian citizen. He signed over custody of their two children, Shahirah Bahrin and Mohammed Baharuddin, an arrangement which was later ratified by the Family Court of Australia. He later tried to seek custody of his children in 1992 through the Australian Family Court.
In 1992, Raja Bahrin came to Melbourne for a pre-arranged custody visit, after which he failed to return the children. After some days of uncertainty of his and the children's whereabouts, Raja Bahrin surfaced with them back in Malaysia. He appeared in an interview on television, but refused to say how he had managed to smuggle them out of the Australia.[3] The events are all recorded and have been recorded with the title 'Raja Bahrin Story' (1997).
In 2006, Shahirah Bahrin and Mohammed Baharuddin were reunited with their mother in Melbourne, after 14 years apart.[4]
Collapse of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium
Raja Kamarul Bahrin is an architect in Malaysia. His company, Senibahri Arkitek, designed the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Terengganu, which collapsed twice: first in 2009,[5] then again in 2013.[6]
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | P36 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu. | Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah (PAS) | 45,828 | 55.80% | Mohd Zubir Embong (UMNO) | 35,043 | 42.67% | 82,122 | 10,785 | 87.00% | ||
| Maimun Yusuf (IND) | 182 | 0.22% | ||||||||||
| 2018 | Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah (AMANAH) | 15,380 | 17.76% | Wan Nawawi Wan Ismail (UMNO) | 28,215 | 32.59% | 87,786 | 14,773 | 84.73% | |||
| Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim (PAS) | 42,988 | 49.65% | ||||||||||
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Terengganu :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Terengganu (DPMT) – Dato' (1994)[11]
References
- "Raja Bahrin pengerusi Harapan Baru Terengganu – Nasional". Sinar Harian. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- "Five senators appointed as one minister and four deputy ministers". The Star. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- Murdoch, Lindsay (24 July 2019). "From the archives, 1992: Missing children resurface in Malaysia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Doherty, Ben (6 April 2006). "After 14 years, reunion joy for kidnap family". The Age. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- "Malaysia Suffer Stadium Roof Collapse | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Idris, SM Mohamed (26 February 2013). "Stadium collapse shows worker safety atrocious". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
- "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 5 May 2013. Results only available for the 2013 election.
- "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE – 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat". Bahagian Istiadat dan Urusetia Persidangan Antarabangsa. Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia).