List of Menteris Besar of Kedah

Menteri Besar of Kedah
Incumbent Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah since 4 February 2016
Government of Kedah
Style	Yang Amat Berhormat (The Most Honourable)
Member of	Kedah State Executive Council
Reports to	Kedah State Legislative Assembly
Residence	Seri Mentaloon, Alor Setar, Kedah
Seat	Aras 3, Blok A, Wisma Darul Aman, 05503 Alor Setar, Kedah
Appointer	Council of Regency of Kedah representing Sultan of Kedah
Term length	While commanding the confidence of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly With State Elections held no more than five years apart
Inaugural holder	Wan Shammiul Ahmad Wan Farriul Osman
Formation	1 March 1881
Website	mmk.kedah.gov.my/index.php/kerajaan/menteri-besar

The Menteri Besar of Kedah is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Kedah. According to convention, the Menteri Besar is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly.

The 12th and current Menteri Besar of Kedah is Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, who took office on 4 February 2016.

Appointment

According to the state constitution, the Sultan of Kedah shall first appoint the Menteri Besar to preside over the Executive Council and requires such Menteri Besar to be a member of the Legislative Assembly who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly, must be an ethnic Malay who professes the religion of Islam and must not a Malaysian citizen by naturalisation or by registration. The Sultan on the Menteri Besar's advice shall appoint not more than ten nor less than four members from among the members of the Legislative Assembly.

The member of the Executive Council must take and subscribe in the presence of the Sultan the oath of office and allegiance as well as the oath of secrecy before they can exercise the functions of office. The Executive Council shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly. The members of the Executive Council shall not hold any office of profit and engage in any trade, business or profession that will cause conflict of interest.

If a government cannot get its appropriation (budget) legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, or the Legislative Assembly passes a vote of "no confidence" in the government, the Menteri Besar is bound by convention to resign immediately. The Sultan's choice of replacement Menteri Besar will be dictated by the circumstances. A member of the Executive Council other than the Menteri Besar shall hold office during the pleasure of the Sultan, unless the appointment of any member of the Executive Council shall have been revoked by the Sultan on the advice of the Menteri Besar but may at any time resign his office.

Following a resignation in other circumstances, defeated in an election or the death of the Menteri Besar, the Sultan will generally appoint as Menteri Besar the person voted by the governing party as their new leader.

Powers

The power of the Menteri Besar is subject to a number of limitations. Menteri Besar removed as leader of his or her party, or whose government loses a vote of no confidence in the Legislative Assembly, must advise a state election or resign the office or be dismissed by the Sultan. The defeat of a supply bill (one that concerns the spending of money) or unable to pass important policy-related legislation is seen to require the resignation of the government or dissolution of Legislative Assembly, much like a non-confidence vote, since a government that cannot spend money is hamstrung, also called loss of supply.

The Menteri Besar's party will normally have a majority in the Legislative Assembly and party discipline is exceptionally strong in Kedah politics, so passage of the government's legislation through the Legislative Assembly is mostly a formality.

Caretaker Menteri Besar

The legislative assembly unless sooner dissolved by the Sultan with His Majesty's own discretion on the advice of the Menteri Besar shall continue for five years from the date of its first meeting. The state constitution permits a delay of 60 days of general election to be held from the date of dissolution and the legislative assembly shall be summoned to meet on a date not later than 120 days from the date of dissolution. Conventionally, between the dissolution of one legislative assembly and the convening of the next, the Menteri Besar and the executive council remain in office in a caretaker capacity.

List of Menteris Besar of Kedah

The following is the list of Menteris Besar of Kedah since 1948:^[1][2]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Alliance Party   Barisan Nasional   Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Political party[lower-alpha 1]	Term of office		Electoral mandates (Assembly)
		Mohamad Sheriff Osman (1890–1962)	UMNO	1 February 1948	January 1954	–
			Alliance (UMNO)
		Tunku Ismail Tunku Yahya (1907–d. unknown)	Alliance (UMNO)	January 1954	24 May 1959	–
		Syed Omar Syed Abdullah Shahabuddin (1902–1967) MLA for Baling Barat, 1959–1967	Alliance (UMNO)	24 May 1959	7 December 1967	1959 (1st) 1964 (2nd)
Vacant				7 December 1967	14 December 1967	– (2nd)
		Syed Ahmad Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin (1925–2008) MLA for Padang Terap, 1959–1974 MLA for Kuala Nerang 1974–1978	Alliance (UMNO)	14 December 1967	13 July 1978	– (2nd) 1969 (3rd) 1974 (4th)
			BN (UMNO)
		Syed Nahar Syed Sheh Shahabuddin (1934–1998) MLA for Jerlun-Kodiang, 1969–1974 MLA for Langkawi, 1978–1986	BN (UMNO)	13 July 1978	28 January 1985	1978 (5th) 1982 (6th)
		Osman Aroff (b. 1940) MLA for Jitra, 1969–1999	BN (UMNO)	28 January 1985	16 June 1996	– (6th) 1986 (7th) 1990 (8th) 1995 (9th)
		Sanusi Junid (b. 1943) MLA for Kuah, 1995–2004	BN (UMNO)	16 June 1996	11 December 1999	– (9th)
		Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakbah (b. 1944) MLA for Pengkalan Kundor, 1986–1995 MLA for Kubang Rotan, 1995–2008	BN (UMNO)	11 December 1999	22 December 2005	1999 (10th) 2004 (11th)
Vacant				22 December 2005	28 December 2005	– (11th)
		Mahdzir Khalid (b. 1960) MLA for Pedu, 2004–2013	BN (UMNO)	28 December 2005	9 March 2008	– (11th)
		Azizan Abdul Razak (1944–2013) MLA for Sala, 1995–2004 MLA for Sungai Limau, 2004–2013	PAS	9 March 2008	6 May 2013	2008 (12th)
		Mukhriz Mahathir (b. 1964) MLA for Ayer Hitam, since 2013	BN (UMNO)	6 May 2013	3 February 2016	2013 (13th)
		Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah (b. 1950) MLA for Alor Merah, 1995–2004 MLA for Bakar Bata, since 2004	BN (UMNO)	4 February 2016	Incumbent	– (13th)

1. This column names only the Menteri Besar's party. The state government he heads may be a complex coalition of several parties and independents; those are not listed here.

Living former Menteris Besar

Name	Term of office	Date of birth
Osman Aroff	1985–1996	23 November 1940 (age 76)
Sanusi Junid	1996–1999	10 July 1943 (age 73)
Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakbah	1999–2005	22 August 1944 (age 72)
Mahdzir Khalid	2005–2008	15 December 1960 (age 55)
Mukhriz Mahathir	2013–2016	25 November 1964 (age 52)

References

1. "Kedah". WorldStatesmen.org. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20141017065500/http://mmk.kedah.gov.my/index.php/kerajaan/menteri-besar/mantan-menteri-besar