President of the Dewan Negara

Presiding officer of the Dewan Negara

President of the Senate

Yang di-Pertua Dewan Negara
يڠ دڤرتوا ديوان نڬارا

Incumbent
Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah

since 22 July 2024

Dewan Negara
Style| Yang Berhormat Tuan Yang di-Pertua (formal)
Tuan Speaker/Pengurusi (informal and within the House)
Tuan President (informal and within the House)
Member of| Committee of Selection,
Standing Orders Committee,
House Committee,
Committee of Privileges
Reports to| Dewan Negara
Appointer| Elected by members of the Dewan Negara
Term length| Elected upon a vacancy
Constituting instrument| Federal Constitution of Malaysia
Inaugural holder| Abdul Rahman Mohamed Yassin
Formation| 11 September 1959; 65 years ago (1959-09-11)
Deputy| Deputy President of the Dewan Negara
Salary| MYR 362,000 annually
Website| Parliament of Malaysia
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The president of the Senate (Malay: Yang di-Pertua Dewan Negara; Jawi: يڠ دڤرتوا ديوان نڬارا) is the presiding officer or speaker of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia.

The president of the Senate is created under Article 56 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The office is similar to the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat: the president is elected by the members of the Senate and is expected to be politically impartial. If a member of the Dewan Negara is elected as the president and is a member of a state legislative assembly, he must resign from the assembly before exercising the functions of the office. As the president may hold different titles while in office, it also changes the style. The position has been held by Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) since July 2024.

## Functions

[edit]

The main functions of the president of the Dewan Negara are:[1]

* to preside over the sittings of the Dewan Negara
* to be responsible for the observance of the rules in the Dewan Negara
* to ensure the relevancy of the points raised during the debate
* to interpret the Standing Orders in case of disputes and the decision is final

## List of presidents of the Dewan Negara

[edit]

As of 2 April 2025, almost all presidents of the Dewan Negara won unopposed in the presidential election except for Rais Yatim.[2]

No.  | Portrait  | Name
(Birth–Death) | Term of office  | Party  | Parliament

|
|
|
|
|

Took office | Left office | Time in office
1  |  | Dato' Haji
Abdul Rahman Mohamed Yassin
Senator from Johore
(1890–1970) | 11 September
1959  | 31 December
1968  | 9 years, 112 days  |  | Alliance (UMNO)  | 1st
2nd
2  |  | Syed Sheh Barakbah
Appointed Senator
(1906–1975) | 27 January
1969  | 5 February
1969  | 10 days  |  | Alliance (UMNO)  | –
3  |  | Tan Sri Dato' Haji
Mohamed Noah Omar
Appointed Senator
(1897–1991) | 24 February
1969  | 28 July
1970  | 1 year, 155 days  |  | Alliance (UMNO)  | –
3rd
4  |  | Tan Sri Haji
Abdul Hamid Khan
Appointed Senator
(1900–1974) | 20 February
1971  | 22 February
1973  | 2 years, 3 days  |  | Alliance (UMNO)  | –
5  |  | Tun Tan Sri Haji
Ong Yoke Lin
Appointed Senator
(1917–2010) | 23 February
1973  | 30 December
1980  | 7 years, 311 days  |  | Alliance (MCA)  | –
| BN (MCA)  | 4th
5th
6  |  | Tan Sri
Ismail Khan Ibrahim Khan
Appointed Senator
(1905–2000) | 31 December
1980  | 13 April
1985  | 4 years, 103 days  |  | BN (UMNO)
6th
7  |  | Tan Sri Datuk
Benedict Stephens
Appointed Senator
(1926–2003) | 15 April
1985  | 11 April
1988  | 2 years, 362 days  |  | Independent
7th
8  |  | Tan Sri Datuk
Abang Ahmad Urai
Senator from Sarawak
(1933–2022) | 11 July
1988  | 9 July
1990  | 1 year, 363 days  |  | BN (PBB)
9  |  | Tan Sri Dato'
Chan Choong Tak
Appointed Senator
(1933–2018) | 17 December
1990  | 31 March
1992  | 1 year, 105 days  |  | BN (MCA)  | 8th
10  |  | Tan Sri Dato'
Vadiveloo Govindasamy
Appointed Senator
(1932–2024) | 13 April
1992  | 12 June
1995  | 3 years, 60 days  |  | BN (MIC)
9th
11  |  | Tan Sri Dato' Sri
Adam Kadir
Appointed Senator
(born 1942) | 13 June
1995  | 30 November
1997  | 2 years, 170 days  |  | BN (UMNO)
12  |  | Tan Sri Dato' Haji
Mohamed Yaacob
Appointed Senator
(1926–2009) | 10 December
1997  | 5 December
2000  | 2 years, 361 days  |  | BN (UMNO)
10th
13  |  | Tun Tan Sri
Michael Chen Wing Sum
Appointed Senator
(1932–2024) | 7 December
2000  | 11 April
2003  | 2 years, 125 days  |  | BN (MCA)
14  |  | Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr.
Abdul Hamid Pawanteh
Appointed Senator
(1944–2022) | 7 July
2003  | 6 July
2009  | 5 years, 364 days  |  | BN (UMNO)  | –
11th
12th
15  |  | Tan Sri Ir.
Wong Foon Meng
Appointed Senator
(born 1954) | 7 July
2009  | 12 April
2010  | 279 days  |  | BN (MCA)
16  |  | Tan Sri
Abu Zahar Ujang
Appointed Senator
(born 1944) | 26 April
2010  | 25 April
2016  | 5 years, 365 days  |  | BN (UMNO)  | –
13th
17  |  | Tan Sri Dato' Sri
Vigneswaran Sanasee
Appointed Senator
(born 1965) | 26 April
2016  | 22 June
2020  | 4 years, 57 days  |  | BN (MIC)

14th
18  |  | Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Dr.
Rais Yatim
Appointed Senator
(born 1942) | 2 September
2020  | 15 June
2023  | 2 years, 276 days  |  | PN (BERSATU)

15th
19  |  | Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr. Haji
Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar
Appointed Senator
(born 1946) | 19 June
2023  | 18 January
2024  | 213 days  |  | GPS (PBB)
20  |  | Datuk
Mutang Tagal
Appointed Senator
(1954–2024) | 19 February
2024  | 10 May
2024  | 81 days  |  | GPS (PBB)
21  |  | Dato
Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah
Appointed Senator
(born 1959) | 22 July
2024  | Incumbent | 254 days  |  | GPS (PBB)

### Election results

[edit]

Election date | Candidate(s) | Votes | Nominated by | Seconded by | Secretary

|
|
|
|
|

11 September 1959 | Abdul Rahman Mohamed Yasin | Unopposed | Leong Yew Koh | Tan Tong Hye | Ramli Abdul Hamid
15 October 1962 | Sheikh Abu Bakar Yahya, pro tempore | Leong Yew Koh | Tan Tong Hye | Ahmad Abdullah
18 October 1965 | Abdul Rahman Mohamed Yasin | Tan Tong Hye | Amaluddin Darus
27 January 1969 | Syed Sheh Syed Hassan Barakbah | Abdul Ghafar Baba | J. E. S. Crawford
24 February 1969 | Mohamad Noah Omar | Abdul Ghafar Baba | Pandak Hamid Puteh Jali
20 February 1971 | Abdul Hamid Khan Sakhawat Ali Khan | Abdul Kadir Yusuf | Tan Tong Hye | Lim Joo Keng
23 February 1973 | Omar Yoke Lin Ong | Abdul Kadir Yusuf | Kamarul Ariffin Mohd Yassin
6 January 1975 | Omar Yoke Lin Ong | Athi Nahappan | Pandak Hamid Puteh Jali
31 December 1980 | Ismail Khan | Mohamed Nasir | Michael Wong Kuan Lee | Ahmad Hasmuni Hussein
15 December 1983 | Ismail Khan | James Peter Ongkili | Ariffin Salleh
15 April 1985 | Benedict Stephens | Mohamed Yusof Mohamed Noor | Tan Chang Soong
11 July 1988 | Abang Ahmad Urai Abang Mohideen | Kasitah Gaddam | Hussein Ahmad | Abdul Rahim Abu Bakar
17 December 1990 | Chan Choong Tak | Abdul Ghafar Baba | Annuar Musa | Mohamed Salleh Abu Bakar
13 April 1992 | Vadiveloo Govindasamy | Mahathir Mohamad | Ling Liong Sik
14 December 1994 | Vadiveloo Govindasamy | Anwar Ibrahim | Ling Liong Sik
13 June 1995 | Adam Kadir | Anwar Ibrahim | Samy Vellu
10 December 1997 | Mohamed Yaacob | Anwar Ibrahim | Chong Kah Kiat | Abdullah Abdul Wahab
27 December 1999 | Mohamed Yaacob | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi | Abdul Hamid Othman
7 December 2000 | Michael Chen Wing Sum | Ling Liong Sik | Samy Vellu
7 July 2003 | Abdul Hamid Pawanteh | Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor | M. Kayveas
19 July 2006 | Abdul Hamid Pawanteh | M. Kayveas | Abdul Raman Suliman | Zamani Sulaiman
7 July 2009 | Wong Foon Meng | Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz | Ong Tee Keat
26 April 2010 | Abu Zahar Ujang | Koh Tsu Koon | Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
26 April 2016 | Vigneswaran Sanasee | Azalina Othman Said | J Loga Bala Mohan | Riduan Rahmat
2 September 2020  | Rais Yatim | 45 | Takiyuddin Hassan | Shabudin Yahaya | Muhammad Sujairi Abdullah
Yusmadi Yusoff | 19  | Ahmad Azam Hamzah  | Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid
19 June 2023  | Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar | Unopposed | Anwar Ibrahim | Tengku Zafrul Aziz
19 February 2024  | Mutang Tagal | Unopposed | Anwar Ibrahim | Azalina Othman Said
22 July 2024  | Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah | Unopposed | Anwar Ibrahim | Azalina Othman Said

## List of deputy presidents of the Dewan Negara

[edit]

As of 2 April 2025, almost all deputy presidents of the Dewan Negara won unopposed in the presidential election except for Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

No.  | Portrait  | Name
(Birth–Death) | Term of office  | Party  | Parliament

|
|
|
|
|

Took office | Left office
1  |  | S. O. K. Ubaidulla
Appointed Senator | 22 March
1971  | 31 December
1980  |  | Alliance (MIC)  | 3rd
| BN (MIC)  | 4th
5th
2  |  | Abdul Hamid Bidin
Appointed Senator
(1917–1995) | 13 April
1981  | 28 July
1982  |  | BN (UMNO)
3  |  | Sulaiman Ninam Shah
Appointed Senator
(1920–2003) | 14 December
1982  | 1 April
1985  |  | BN (UMNO)  | 6th
4  |  | Abang Ahmad Urai
Senator from Sarawak | 29 July
1985  | 10 July
1988  |  | BN (PBB)
7th
5  |  | Tan Peng Khoon
Appointed Senator | 13 July
1988  | 27 December
1989  |  | BN (MCA)
6  |  | Chan Choong Tak
Appointed Senator | 28 December
1989  | 16 December
1990  |  | BN (MCA)
7  |  | Adam Kadir
Appointed Senator | 1 April
1992  | 1 December
1994  |  | BN (UMNO)  | 8th
14 December
1994  | 12 June
1995
8  |  | Michael Chen Wing Sum
Appointed Senator
(1932–2024) | 29 May
1997  | 5 December
2000  |  | BN (Gerakan)  | 9th
10th
9  |  | Gapar Gurrohu
Appointed Senator | 8 May
2001  | 22 October
2003  |  | BN (UMNO)
10  |  | Wong Foon Meng
Appointed Senator | 7 June
2004  | 6 July
2009  |  | BN (MCA)  | 11th
12th
11  |  | Armani Mahiruddin
Senator from Sabah
(born 1957) | 9 July
2009  | 20 December
2011  |  | BN (UMNO)
12  |  | Doris Sophia Brodi
Appointed Senator
(born 1960) | 26 January
2012  | 11 March
2016  |  | BN (PRS)
13th
13  |  | Abdul Halim Abdul Samad
Appointed Senator
(born 1940) | 18 April
2016  | 2 November
2020  |  | BN (UMNO)
14th
14  |  | Mohamad Ali Mohamad
Senator from Melaka | 16 December
2020  | 19 May
2023  |  | BN (UMNO)
15th
15  |  | Nur Jazlan Mohamed
Appointed Senator
(born 1966) | 19 June
2023  | Incumbent |  | BN (UMNO)

### Election results

[edit]

Election date | Candidates | Votes | Nominated by | Seconded by

|
|
|
|

27 December 1962 | Sheikh Abu Bakar Yahya | Unopposed | Leong Yew Koh | S. O. K. Ubaidulla
22 March 1971 | S. O. K. Ubaidulla | Unopposed | Abdul Kadir Yusuf | Tan Tong Hye
6 January 1975 | S. O. K. Ubaidulla | Unopposed | Abdul Rahim Manan | Lim Ah Sitt
13 April 1981 | Abdul Hamid Bidin | Unopposed | Mohamed Nasir | Law Hieng Ding
14 December 1982 | Sulaiman Ninam Shah | Unopposed | Mohamed Nasir | Kam Woon Wah
29 July 1985 | Abang Ahmad Urai | Unopposed | Mohamed Yusof Mohamed Noor | Paramjit Singh
16 July 1987 | Abang Ahmad Urai | Unopposed | Hussein Ahmad | Bee Yang Sek
13 July 1988 | Tan Peng Khoon | Unopposed | Kasitah Gaddam | Hussein Ahmad
28 December 1989 | Chan Choong Tak | Unopposed | Suleiman Mohamed | K. S. Nijhar
13 April 1992 | Adam Kadir | Unopposed | Mahathir Mohamad | Ling Liong Sik
14 December 1994 | Adam Kadir | Unopposed | Anwar Ibrahim | Ling Liong Sik
29 May 1997 | Michael Chen Wing Sum | Unopposed | Osu Sukam | Ting Chew Peh
4 May 2000 | Michael Chen Wing Sum | Unopposed | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi | Musa Mohamad
8 May 2001 | Gapar Gurrohu | Unopposed | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi | Pandikar Amin Mulia
7 June 2004 | Wong Foon Meng | Unopposed | Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz | Chan Chee Tee
7 May 2007 | Wong Foon Meng | Unopposed | Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz | Abdul Raman Sulaiman
9 July 2009 | Armani Mahiruddin | Unopposed | Koh Tsu Koon | Jamil Khir Baharom
26 January 2012 | Doris Sophia Brodi | Unopposed | Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz | Koh Tsu Koon
12 March 2013 | Doris Sophia Brodi | Unopposed | Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz | Koh Tsu Koon
18 April 2016 | Abdul Halim Abdul Samad | Unopposed | Azalina Othman Said | Mustapa Mohamed
16 December 2020  | Mohamad Ali Mohamad | Unopposed  | Takiyuddin Hassan | Shabudin Yahaya
19 June 2023  | Nur Jazlan Mohamed | 43  | Anwar Ibrahim | Tengku Zafrul Aziz
Razali Idris | 11  | Dominic Lau Hoe Chai | Md. Nasir Hashim

## See also

[edit]

* Dewan Negara
* Parliament of Malaysia
* Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

## References

[edit]

1. ^ President of the Senate Archived 2010-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, Parliament of Malaysia
2. ^ "Parliamentary Services Bill to be tabled in November, says Rais". 30 September 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Parliament of Malaysia (Official site)

* v
* t
* e

Parliament of Malaysia

Components|

* Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King)
* Dewan Negara (Senate)
* Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)

Parliamentary
officers|

| Dewan Negara|

* President of the Dewan Negara
* Secretary
* Leader of the Government in the Dewan Negara
* Leader of the Opposition in the Dewan Negara

|

Dewan Rakyat|

* Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
* Secretary
* Prime Minister
* Leader of the House
* Leader of the Opposition
* Whips

Members|

* Served in both houses
* Represented multiple states
* 30+ years
* Seniority

| Dewan Negara|

* Current (previous)
* Women

|

Dewan Rakyat|

* Current (previous)
* Women
* Chinese
* Indians
* Father of the House
* Baby of the House

Procedure|

* Opening of Parliament
* Royal Address
* Question time
* Readings of bills
* Royal assent
* List of Acts of Parliament in Malaysia

* Standing orders
* Order Paper
* Hansard
* Committees: Dewan Negara | Dewan Rakyat

Elections|

* Last
* Next
* Dewan Negara: None (Indirect election and appointments)
* Dewan Rakyat: First-past-the-post voting
* Electoral districts
* By-elections
* Caretaker government

Locations|

* Malaysian Houses of Parliament (1963–present)
* Tunku Abdul Rahman Hall (1959–63)

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