Dato' Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah bin Raja Ahmad Baharuddin Shah (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 former Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 and the Senator from July 2018 to July 2021 as well as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kuala Terengganu from May 2013 to May 2018. He is a member of the National Trust Party (AMANAH), a component party of the PH coalition. He has served as the State Chairman of PH of Terengganu since August 2017.[1][2]

Raja Kamarul Bahrin Raja Ahmad Baharuddin Shah
راج قمر البحرين بن راج أحمد بحرالدّين شاه
Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government
In office
17 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
MonarchsMuhammad V
(2018–2019)
Abdullah
(2019–2020)
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
MinisterZuraida Kamaruddin
Preceded byHalimah Mohamed Sadique
(Deputy Minister of Housing, Local Government and Urban Wellbeing)
Succeeded byIsmail Muttalib
ConstituencySenator
Senator
Appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
In office
17 July 2018 – 16 July 2021
MonarchsMuhammad V
(2018–2019)
Abdullah
(2019–2021)
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
(2018–2020)
Muhyiddin Yassin
(2020–2021)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Kuala Terengganu
In office
5 May 2013 – 9 May 2018
Preceded byMohd Abdul Wahid Endut
(PRPAS)
Succeeded byAhmad Amzad Hashim
(PAS)
Majority10,785 (2013)
State Chairman of the
Pakatan Harapan of Terengganu
Assumed office
30 August 2017
PresidentWan Azizah Wan Ismail
National ChairmanMahathir Mohamad
(2017–2020)
Anwar Ibrahim
(since 2020)
Preceded byPosition established
Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat
2013–2015Malaysian Islamic Party
2015–2018National Trust Party
Faction represented in Dewan Negara
2018–2021Pakatan Harapan
Personal details
Born
Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah bin Raja Ahmad Baharuddin Shah

(1955-01-14) 14 January 1955 (age 69)
Istana Maziah, Kuala Terengganu, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
CitizenshipMalaysian
Political partyMalaysian 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 materUniversity of Melbourne
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionArchitect
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

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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

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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

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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

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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, Badruddin Hakim, Bahiuddin Ansari, Aryani Munirah and Salihah Nazirah.

Controversies

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Child dispute with ex-wife

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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[citation needed].

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).[citation needed]

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

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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

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Parliament of Malaysia[7][8][9][10]
Year Constituency Candidate Votes Pct Opponent(s) Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2013 P036 Kuala 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% Ahmad Amzad Hashim (PAS) 42,988 49.65% 87,786 14,773 84.73%
Wan Nawawi Wan Ismail (UMNO) 28,215 32.59%
2022 Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah (AMANAH) 10,946 11.34% Ahmad Amzad Hashim (PAS) 63,016 65.27% 97,605 40,907 78.30%
Mohd Zubir Embong (UMNO) 22,109 22.90%
Mohamad Abu Bakar Muda (PUTRA) 481 0.50%

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Raja Bahrin pengerusi Harapan Baru Terengganu – Nasional". Sinar Harian. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Five senators appointed as one minister and four deputy ministers". The Star. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  3. ^ Murdoch, Lindsay (24 July 2019). "From the archives, 1992: Missing children resurface in Malaysia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  4. ^ Doherty, Ben (6 April 2006). "After 14 years, reunion joy for kidnap family". The Age. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Malaysia Suffer Stadium Roof Collapse | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  6. ^ Idris, SM Mohamed (26 February 2013). "Stadium collapse shows worker safety atrocious". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
  8. ^ "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2013. Results only available for the 2013 election.
  9. ^ "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE – 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  10. ^ "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  11. ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat". Bahagian Istiadat dan Urusetia Persidangan Antarabangsa. Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia).
  12. ^ "104 terima darjah kebesaran, pingat Pahang". www.astroawani.com. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
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