Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor

Muhammad Sanusi bin Md Nor (born 4 August 1974[1]) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 14th Menteri Besar of Kedah since May 2020. He has served as the Member of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly for Jeneri since May 2018 and served as the Leader of the Opposition of the state from July 2018 to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state administration led by his predecessor Mukhriz Mahathir in May 2020. A member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), he is the party's Deputy Commissioner I of the state.[2][3]

Yang Amat Berhormat Tuan Haji

Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor

MLA
محمد سنوسي مد نور
14th Menteri Besar of Kedah
Assumed office
17 May 2020
MonarchSallehuddin
Preceded byMukhriz Mahathir
ConstituencyJeneri
Leader of the Opposition of the
Kedah State Legislative Assembly
In office
4 July 2018 – 17 May 2020
MonarchSallehuddin
Menteri BesarMukhriz Mahathir
Preceded byAmiruddin Hamzah
Succeeded byPhahrolrazi Mohd Zawawi
ConstituencyJeneri
Member of the
Kedah State Legislative Assembly for
Jeneri
Assumed office
9 May 2018
Preceded byMahadzir Abdul Hamid (UMNO–BN)
Majority2,455 (2018)
Personal details
Born (1974-08-04) 4 August 1974[1]
Sik, Kedah, Malaysia
CitizenshipMalaysian
Political partyMalaysian Islamic Party (PAS)
Other political
affiliations		Pakatan Rakyat (PR)
Gagasan Sejahtera (GS)
Muafakat Nasional (MN)
Perikatan Nasional (PN)
Spouse(s)Jusmalailani Jusoh
Children5
Alma materUniversity of Science Malaysia
OccupationPolitician

Background

Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is the seventh child of 13 siblings of Haji Md Nor Taib and Hajah Meriam Ahmad. Muhammad Sanusi married Jusmalailani Jusoh and raised five children. He received his primary education at Sekolah Rendah Batu 5, Sik, Sekolah Sultan Mohamad Jiwa, Sungai Petani and his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Sik as well as Sekolah Menengah Derma Kangar, Perlis. He is a graduate of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Politics
  • PAS Election Director
  • Chairman of PASRelief
  • Central Director-General of PAS Security (2017 to date)
  • PAS President of Sik Area, Kedah (2015 to date).
  • Kedah PAS Deputy Commissioner (2015 to date)
  • Political Secretary to 10th Menteri Besar of Kedah Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ustaz Hj Azizan Abdul Razak (2008 to 2013).
  • 14th Menteri Besar of Kedah

Election results
Kedah State Legislative Assembly[4][5]
Year Constituency Votes Pct Opponent(s) Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2008 N23 Belantek, P013 Sik Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (PAS) 7,974 49.20% Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah (UMNO) 8,226 50.70% 16,475 252 86.60%
2018 N24 Jeneri, P013 Sik Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (PAS) 10,626 46.32% Mahadzir Abdul Hamid (UMNO) 8,171 35.61% 27,641 2,455 84.70%
Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PPBM) 4,146 18.07%

Controversies

Fallacious claims on rare-earth elements extraction permit award

Earlier in December 2020, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor announced the Kedah state government has awarded a Kuala Lumpur-based company a permit to prospect and extract rare earth elements purportedly worth RM 43 Trillion. Upon further investigation, it is cleared that the rare earth element deposits was only estimated RM 62 Billion and not the amount he claimed to be.[6][7] There is also claims saying that Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor are intentionally courting controversies and being provocative to draw attention away from the "43 Trillion Mineral Deposit discovery in Kedah" claims.[8]

Drunk-on-toddy remarks

Topping the claims, Muhammad Sanusi has been called out in the local press and media channels for his derogatory statements against the minority communities linking with being drunkards. He purportedly commented on the opposition member not to be drunk on toddy in his speeches. This stirred the emotions of the minorities and caused a lot of bashes and calls for him to apologize publicly.[9][10] Following the remarks, Sanusi avoided from apologizing and continued to offend more by calling for ban on the Malaysian Indian Congress Party (MIC) which caused the chairman of MIC, Tan Sri Vigneswaran to call him an ignorant MB.[11][12]

Hindu Temple Demolishing
The photo showing the press conference organized by the Hindu NGO Coalition requesting the minister to apologize for his statement and stop temple demolition works immediately.

Muhammad Sanusi will also be remembered for inciting the demolishment of the temples despite the call for stop from the Indian community. It became nationwide issue as the act has induced many political leaders, religious leaders and NGO representatives to voice out calling him being insensitive towards the sensitivity of the religion followers.[13][14][15] There was a speculations raised that Sanusi did everything in clear mindsight only to avoid being in the limelight of the past claims he made regarding the 43 Trillion Ringgit Mineral Deposit scandal. The Malay Mail newspaper highlighted that he has chosen to divert the attention to a much more sensitive topics such as religious beliefs.[16] Some did also came out to support Sanusi's act on the demolishing of the hindu temples.[17][18] The Coalitions of Hindu NGOs has requested him to stop the demolishing and apologize else to bring the matter to the attention of the Palace through a reactive press conference.[19][20] Through the press conference, the coalition representatives requested Sanusi to guarantee that the demolishments will no more take place which Sanusi on reacted saying everything is happening under the purview of law.[21] Taking part in the press conference, was the Malaysian Head, Global Hindu Federation, Dato' Pardip Kumar Kukreja, Chairman of MAHA. V.Kandasamy, Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram (MHDM) president A. Radhakrishnan, R.Naraesh Pillai, Rajaratnam. Meanwhile, the Chairman of United Malaysian Hindu Voice (UMHV) Navindran Palasendaram[22] urged the government to be more proactive and remain sensitive and prepare an ecosystem to secure to the rights of the Hindu community in Malaysia. He also added that UMHV is also prepared to work for a permanent solution for the issues faced by the Hindu temples and communities hands on with the government.[22]

Footballer Racist Remark

During a press conference of Malaysian football club Kedah FA, Muhammad Sanusi acting as the president of the club made racial remarks of its foreign players, by referring to them as 'awang hitam' which translates as 'black criminal', also a term used by certain dailies to identify African criminals.[23]

Thaipusam holiday

On 21 January 2021, Sanusi said the Thaipusam festival would not be marked as a public holiday since there is no celebration of the annual festival for the year. Given the spike in Covid-19 cases, there will also be no celebration for Chinese New Year, and all public gatherings will be barred. He said the state would allow state assemblyman service centres to operate via drive-through services for the people in their respective constituencies. However, only one-third of devotees will be allowed to pray at temples during the festival. [24]

The MCA has also described Sanusi's decision as illogical and disrespectful of the country's minorities' rights. The MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said the decision sends a negative signal about PAS to all minorities in the country. "He has planted the seed of fear in the minds of all minorities," said Vell Paari. The former MIC secretary-general said PAS central leadership tried its best to portray the party as being inclusive. He also criticised PAS for saying that MIC did not support PAS during the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018. He reminded Sanusi that during GE14, PAS was not a component of the Barisan Nasional.[25]

References
  1. https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/83937/EDISI/Utara/Muhammad-Sanusi-pemimpin-mesra-mudah-didekati
  2. "Muhammad Sanusi dijangka angkat sumpah MB Kedah esok". 16 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. "Menteri Besar baharu Kedah angkat sumpah esok". 16 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  4. "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE - 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  5. "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  6. "Kedah to tap RM62 billion rare earth deposits, not RM43 trillion". Malaysiakini. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  7. Johan, Syahredzan (2020-12-11). "COMMENT | Leaders must not indulge in racial insults". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  8. Ong, Justin. "Kedah MB demolishing temples to divert from his claim of 'RM43t' in mineral deposits, says DAP rep | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  9. Tee, Kenneth. "Amanah joins call for Kedah MB to publicly apologise over 'drunk on toddy' comment | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  10. "Kedah MB tells critics to take BM classes after racial slur accusations". Malaysiakini. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  11. Nambiar, Predeep (2020-12-03). "This is what happens when you pick an ignorant man to be MB, MIC says after ban remark". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  12. Choong, Jerry. "Criticised over temple demolition, Kedah MB tells MIC and DAP critics not to be drunk on 'toddy' of popularity | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  13. "Kedah MB broke promise over temple demolition - minister". Malaysiakini. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  14. Reporters, F. M. T. (2020-12-03). "Kedah MB broke his promise on temple demolition, says Saravanan". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  15. Surendran, N. (2020-12-03). "LETTER | Kedah MB's defence of temple demolition unacceptable". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  16. Ong, Justin. "Kedah MB demolishing temples to divert from his claim of 'RM43t' in mineral deposits, says DAP rep | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  17. Salleh, Syahirah (2020-12-24). "Tidak roboh bangunan dibina ikut peraturan". HarakahDaily. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  18. "Kedah MB: No guarantee to not demolish illegal buildings". Malaysiakini. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  19. Reporters, F. M. T. (2020-12-21). "Roboh kuil: Sanusi harus pohon maaf dan diambil tindakan oleh Istana, desak NGO". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  20. Kaur, Minderjeet (2020-12-21). "Apologise for unethical remarks, demolishing temple, Hindus tell Kedah MB". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  21. Topics, Head. "NGO desak MB Kedah beri jaminan tiada lagi kuil akan diroboh | The Malaysian Insight". Head Topics. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  22. "NGOs condemn temple demolition, demands apology from Kedah MB". Multilingual e-Newspaper | The Hindu Press. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  23. "By calling footballers 'awang hitam', was Kedah MB ignorant or insensitive?". TwentyTwo13. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  24. "No Thaipusam public holiday for Kedah this year, says MB | The Star". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  25. "Sanusi's decision sending chills to all minorities, says MIC | The Star". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
Government offices
Preceded by
Mukhriz Mahathir		 Chief Minister of Kedah
2020-present		 Succeeded by
N/A
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