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Nik Nazmi
Malaysian politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad (Jawi: نئ نظمي بن نئ أحمد; born 12 January 1982) is a Malaysian who has served as Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability in the administration of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since 2023. He has been member of parliament for Setiawangsa since 2018.
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He previously served as the Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Climate Change from 2022 to 2023 and chaired the Defence and Home Affairs Select Committee from 2019 to 2020. Prior to that, Nik served as Deputy Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly from June 2013 to September 2014, of which he was also a member from 2008 to 2018 representing Seri Setia. From 2008 to 2010, he was also the Political Secretary to the Menteri Besar of Selangor Khalid Ibrahim.[1][2]
A member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, he served as one of its vice-presidents from 2022 to 2025. He has also served as the party's 3rd Youth Chief from 2014 to 2018, and as its Communications Director from 2010 to 2013. Nik has also served as the 1st Youth Chief of PH from 2017 to 2018.
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Early life
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad was born in Kuala Lumpur on 12 January 1982 and his parents were originally from Kota Bharu, Kelantan.[3] He grew up in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
He was selected to attend the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. In 2000, he received a Permodalan Nasional Berhad scholarship to do his A-Levels in Kolej Yayasan UEM, where he was elected as Student Council President.
Nik Nazmi later furthered his studies at King's College London to read law. He was active in various student bodies including UKEC, Federation of Student Islamic Societies and Labour Students. He was elected as a delegate for King's College to the National Union of Students (United Kingdom) Conference in 2005.[4]
He served his sponsor PNB for less than a year and joined PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim's office in 2006. He paid back his sponsors by taking a mortgage on a family property.[5]
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Political career
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State Assemblyman
After serving as an assistant to Anwar Ibrahim, he was nominated by Parti Keadilan Rakyat to contest the Seri Setia state seat in Selangor in the 2008 Malaysian general election. On polling day, Nik Nazmi won by a majority of 2,863 votes, defeating the incumbent Seripah Noli Syed Hussin who had won an 11,141 vote majority in the previous election.[6] Nik Nazmi was the youngest candidate to contest a seat in the 2008 election.[7]
He was the political secretary to the Menteri Besar of Selangor Abdul Khalid Ibrahim from March 2008 to June 2010.
Nik Nazmi was appointed Communications Director of PKR in August 2010.
In the 2013 general election, Nik Nazmi defended his Seri Setia state seat. He defeated Abdul Halim Samad of Barisan Nasional with a majority of 4,663 votes.
He was then elected as Deputy Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly. During this time he inaugurated the Selangor Youth ADUN Program (Program ADUN Muda Selangor) which allowed students the experience of being legislators in the State Assembly.
Nik Nazmi was the first person to be charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 for failure to provide police with a 10 days notice before organising the 2013 Malaysian general election protest. If convicted under section 9(5) of the same Act, Nik Nazmi would have been disqualified from sitting as a legislator.[8] The Court of Appeal of Malaysia later ruled that while the requirement for a 10 days notice before any peaceful assembly was lawful, criminalisation of the failure to do so was unconstitutional and acquitted Nik Nazmi [9]
In the 2014 People's Justice Party leadership election, he was elected Youth Chief.
Nazmi was appointed the State Executive Councillor in charge of Education, Human Capital Development, Science, Technology and Innovation in 2014.
Member of Parliament
For the 2018 general election, Nik Nazmi moved to contest the Setiawangsa parliamentary constituency and subsequently won the seat with a 14,372 majority.
In the 2018 People's Justice Party leadership election, he was elected as a member of the Central Leadership Council and appointed Chief Organising Secretary of the party.
In the 2022 general election, Nik Nazmi successfully retained the seat of Setiawangsa with a 12,614 vote majority. Before the election, he signed a pledge to protect Bukit Dinding from any purported development.
In the 2022 People's Justice Party leadership election, he was elected one of the party's four vice presidents with 34,496 votes, the third highest number of votes in that race.
Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change
Nik Nazmi was appointed the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change in the Anwar Ibrahim cabinet. At the age of 40, he was the second youngest full cabinet member behind United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) president Ewon Benedick, who was 39.
Minister of Natural Resources and Sustainability
On 12 December 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced a cabinet reshuffle where the Nik Nazmi's ministry was split into two.
2025 division leadership election
In April 2025, Nik Nazmi was defeated in his bid for re-election as Setiawangsa PKR division chief by Afdlin Shauki, who secured 631 votes to Nik Nazmi’s 563.[10][11] The result marked a reversal of the 2022 outcome. At the time of the contest, Nik Nazmi was serving as a PKR vice president and the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.[12]
Resignation from Cabinet
On May 28, 2025, Nik Nazmi, an ally of Rafizi Ramli, announced his resignation from cabinet following his defeat in the PKR vice-presidency race, effective 4 July 2025. This decision came shortly after Rafizi’s resignation from cabinet, triggered by his loss in the PKR deputy presidency election.[13]
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The Mentari project
The Mentari project is the brainchild of Nik Nazmi. It was supposed to promote an alternative learning activity for underprivileged children living in the low-cost housing area of Desa Mentari, Petaling Jaya. Desa Mentari was chosen as a benchmark location as the children there have to endure extreme social problems, financial constraints basic security issues and even serious family problems.[14] The Mentari Project was active in fundraising programs.[15] It ran from 2008 - 2020.
Election results
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Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaysia:
Recipient of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
Books
- Saving the Planet: Climate and Environmental Lessons from Malaysia and Beyond (2025)
- Nik Ahmad Nik Hassan Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam (2023)
- Anak Malaysia: Sebuah Perjalanan Politik Progresif (2022)
- Malaysian Son: A Progressive's Political Journey in the Heart of Southeast Asia (2022)
- 9 Mei 2018: Catatan dari Garis Depan (2019)
- 9 May 2018: Notes from the Frontline (2019)
- In the Public Service: The Life of My Father, Nik Ahmad (2018)
- Suara Anum: Menyusuri Arus Reformasi (2017)
- Reformasi Perjuangan Diteruskan / The Struggle Continues 1998-2015 (co-authored with Yee Siew Meng) (2015)
- Jiwa Merdeka: Himpunan Esei Pimpinan Muda KEADILAN (co-edited with Tricia Yeoh) (2013)
- Spirit of Merdeka: a Collection of Essays by Young KEADILAN Leaders (co-edited with Tricia Yeoh) (2013)
- Coming of Age: A Decade of Essays 2001-2011 (2011)
- Mendepani Zaman: Melayu untuk Abad ke-21 (2010)
- Moving Forward: Malays for the 21st Century (2010)
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See also
References
External links
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