Zairil Khir Johari

Yang Berhormat
Zairil Khir Johari
MP
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Bukit Bendera, Penang
Assumed office
6 May 2013
Preceded by Liew Chin Tong
Assistant Publicity Secretary Democratic Action Party[1]
Assumed office
September 2013
Executive Director of Penang Institute
Assumed office
March 2014
Preceded by Woo Wing Thye
CEO of Penang Institute
In office
March 2012 – March 2014
Succeeded by Lim Kim-Hwa
Personal details
Born Zairil Khir Johari
(1982-10-17) 17 October 1982
Citizenship Malaysian
Political party DAP – Pakatan Rakyat
Spouse(s) Dahlia Hamzah[2]
Relations son of Khir Johari
Children 2
Alma mater University of London
Multimedia University
Occupation Politician
CEO, Penang Institute
Religion Islam
Website zairil.com

Zairil Khir Johari (born 17 October 1982) is a Malaysian politician. Since 2013, he has been the Member of Parliament for the seat of Bukit Bendera, Penang. He is a member of the opposition Democratic Action Party. He is the son of Khir Johari, a former Cabinet minister. In 2015, he was appointed the DAP Parliamentary Spokesperson for Education, Science and Technology.[3]

Early life, education and career

Zairil is the son of Khir Johari, a senior minister in early Malaysian governments and Member of Parliament from 1955 to 1982.

Zairil attended the Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Information Systems Engineering. He then received a Master of Arts from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Upon his return to Malaysia, Zairil started RND Chocolate Labs, where he was the chief executive officer.

In late 2010, he left business to pursue politics full-time.

Political career

Entry into politics

In 2010, Zairil joined the DAP, a leading party in opposition to the UMNO-led national government. The choice—given that his father was a prominent UMNO politician and that he would be a rare Malay member of the DAP—attracted significant attention. Zairil claimed upon joining the DAP that UMNO had changed for the worse since his father was a politician, and that "after more than 50 years of [UMNO] rule, the situation is such that people are being colonised, oppressed by our own people, we do not have any freedom."[4] He was appointed Political Secretary to DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng on 23 February 2011.

At the DAP National Congress in December 2012, Zairil was elected to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and appointed as the Assistant National Publicity Secretary. The election was re-run in 2013, after a tabulation error that had resulted in his exclusion. He was successful the second time around.[5]

DAP Penang

In 2013, Zairil was elected into the DAP Penang State Committee and subsequently appointed Vice-Chairman. In the 2015 state party convention, he was reelected into the committee, placing third highest out of the fifteen elected members with a total vote of 490 out of 760 delegates. He was reappointed Vice-Chairman.[6]

Penang Institute

As the CEO of Penang Institute, a public policy think tank to the State Government of Penang, Zairil has been in the forefront of co-ordinating most of its major activities in propagating the cause of Penang on the national and international arenas, and providing realistic solutions for the economic and social sustenance of the people of the Penang region[7] Formerly known as Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI), the Institute is an independent, non-profit research institute with a focus on facilitating sustainable, continuous and balanced development for the state of Penang.

Under Zairil’s leadership, the Institute started the ASEAN Coalition for Clean Governance (ACCG).[8] The inaugural conference was held in June 2012, attracting participants from seven countries around the region. The conference featured various leaders including former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, former head of the Indonesian Audit Board Dr Anwar Nasution and chairperson of Malaysian electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasen.

In March 2014, Zairil was promoted to the post of Executive Director.[9]

Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera

During the 13th General Elections of Malaysia, Zairil won the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat polling 45,591 votes defeating Barisan National candidate with 32,778 majority. One of the highest majorities won during the elections. He is also one of the youngest candidates to win a Parliamentary seat during the elections.[10]

Parliament of Malaysia: P048 Bukit Bendera, Penang[11]
Year Opposition Votes Pct Government Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2013 Zairil Khir Johari (DAP) 45,591 77.93% Teh Leong Meng (Gerakan) 12,813 21.90% 59,114 32,778 83.16%

Family life and hobbies

Zairil is married and has one daughter and one son.[12]

References

See also

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