Leader of the Opposition (Malaysia) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent Hamzah Zainudin since 10 December 2022
Style	Yang Berhormat (The Honourable)
Member of	House of Representatives
Reports to	Parliament
Appointer	Dewan Rakyat
Term length	5 years or less, renewable once (while commanding the confidence of the lower house of Parliament with General Elections held no more than five years apart) By convention, is held by the leader of the largest political party in the Dewan Rakyat that is not in government
Inaugural holder	Burhanuddin al-Helmy
Formation	1959; 65 years ago (1959)

The Leader of the Opposition (Malay: Ketua Pembangkang; Jawi: کتوا ڤمبڠکڠ‎) in Malaysian Federal Politics is a Member of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives). The Leader of the Opposition is, by convention, the leader of the largest political party in the Dewan Rakyat that is not in government.

When in the Dewan Rakyat, the Leader of the Opposition sits on the left-hand side of the centre table, in front of the Opposition and opposite the Prime Minister. The Opposition Leader is elected by the minority party of the House according to its rules. A new Opposition Leader may be elected when the incumbent dies, resigns, or is challenged for the leadership.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and is based on the Westminster model. The Opposition is an important component of the Westminster system, with the Opposition directing criticism at the Government's policies and programs, proposing alternative budgets and legislations, give close attention to all proposed legislation and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The Opposition is therefore known as the 'government in waiting' and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system.

Since November 2022, PN has been the largest Malaysian Opposition. Previously, the longest-serving Opposition Leader had been Lim Kit Siang, who served for a total of 28 years (from 1975-1999 and then from 2004-2008).

List of leaders of the opposition of Malaysia

Colour key' (for political parties and coalitions):
      PMIP/PAS       LPM       DAP       SNAP       PKR       PH       BN       PN

#	Portrait	Leader of the Opposition	Political party		Term of office			Refs
					Took office	Left office	Time in office
1.		Burhanuddin al-Helmy (1911–1969) MP for Besut		PMIP	1959	1964	5 years
2		Tan Chee Khoon (1919–1996) MP for Batu		SF (LPM)	18 May 1964	10 January 1966	4 years, 307 days
				LPM	10 January 1966	28 May 1968
				Gerakan	28 May 1968	20 March 1969
Parliament suspended					1969	1971
3.		Mohamed Asri Muda (1923–1992) MP for Pasir Puteh		PMIP	1971	1973	2 years
4.		Lim Kit Siang (b.1941) MP for Bandar Malacca		DAP	30 January 1973	31 July 1974	1 year, 183 days
5.		James Wong Kim Min (1922–2011) MP for Miri-Subis		SNAP	24 August 1974	30 October 1974	68 days
6.		Edmund Langgu Anak Saga (b.1936) MP for Saratok			4 November 1974	4 November 1975	1 year, 0 days
7.		Lim Kit Siang (b.1941) MP for Kota Melaka (1975-1978) MP for Petaling (1978–1982) MP for Kota Melaka (1982-1986) MP for Tanjong (1986–1999)		DAP	5 November 1975	12 June 1978	24 years, 6 days
					10 October 1978	29 March 1982
					12 October 1982	19 July 1986
					8 October 1986	4 October 1990
				GR (DAP)	10 December 1990	6 April 1995
				DAP	15 June 1995	10 November 1999
8.		Dato' Fadzil Noor (1937–2002) MP for Pendang		BA (PAS)	20 December 1999	23 June 2002	2 years, 186 days
9.		Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (b.1947) MP for Marang			9 September 2002	4 March 2004	1 year, 178 days
10.		Lim Kit Siang (b. 1941) MP for Ipoh Timor		DAP	19 May 2004	13 February 2008	3 years, 271 days
11.		Dato' Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (b. 1952) MP for Permatang Pauh		PR (PKR)	30 April 2008	28 August 2008	121 days
12.		Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim (b.1947) MP for Permatang Pauh			28 August 2008	3 April 2013	6 years, 201 days
					26 June 2013	16 March 2015
13.		Dato' Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (b.1952) MP for Permatang Pauh		PH (PKR)	18 May 2015	7 April 2018	2 years, 325 days
14.		Dato' Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (b. 1953) MP for Bagan Datuk		BN (UMNO)	18 July 2018	12 March 2019	238 days
15.		Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (b. 1960) MP for Bera			12 March 2019	24 February 2020	350 days
16.		Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim (b.1947) MP for Port Dickson		PH (PKR)	13 July 2020	24 November 2022	2 years, 135 days
17.		Dato' Seri Hamzah Zainudin (b.1957) MP for Larut		PN (BERSATU)	19 December 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 9 days