THE last general election, apart from seeing the removal of Barisan Nasional (BN) from Putrajaya, also resulted in the highest number of first-time MPs.

There were 90 new MPs in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat after the 14th general election. They were then joined by three other first-timers through by-elections.

The three new MPs who joined after GE14 were former police officer Ramli Mohd Nor (Cameron Highlands), Vivian Wong (Sandakan) and Mohamad Alamin (Kimanis).

The other two MPs who entered Dewan Rakyat after GE14 through by-elections were Anwar Ibrahim (Port Dickson) and Wee Jeck Seng (Tanjung Piai). Both are veterans, with Anwar in his seventh term and Wee on his third.

With these numbers, the current Parliament has the highest number of first-term MPs at 93, followed by 43 two-term MPs and 40 three-term MPs.

This averages to 2.47 terms per MP out of the 220 MPs, after excluding the Gerik and Batu Sapi seats that have been left vacant after the MPs Hasbullah Osman and Liew Vui Keong died in 2020.

Unsurprisingly the bulk of first-term MPs come from the Pakatan Harapan bloc, with PKR and DAP leading the way with 28 and 18 respectively. PKR, however, is now left with 21 after seven of the first-term MPs left to join Bersatu, Parti Sarawak Bersatu and Parti Bangsa Malaysia.

Next up is Bersatu, which has 15 first-time MPs, although only five won under the party. The other 10 are from parties such as PKR after the Sheraton Move in 2020.

The next party with the highest number of first-time MPs is PAS with 11, followed by Sarawak’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (6), Umno (5), Warisan (4) and Amanah (3).

Among the many fresh faces that came into the 14th Parliament are ministers Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (Kubang Kerian), Ahmad Faizal Azumu (Tambun) and Rina Mohd Harun, as well as former ministers Mohd Redzuan Mohd Yusof (Alor Gajah), Yeo Bee Yin (Bakri), Dr Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam).

Other notable newcomers in Parliament are Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon (Batu Pahat), Hannah Yeoh (Segambut), R.S.N. Rayer (Jelutong), Awang Hashim (Pendang), Maria Chin Abdullah (Petaling Jaya) and Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai).

After the first-term MPs, there are 43 two-term and 40 three-term MPs – the bulk of the three-term lawmakers coming from the 2008 election.

Among the notable three-term MPs are Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau), Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Rantau Panjang), Annuar Musa (Ketereh), Hamzah Zainuddin (Larut), Tony Pua (Damansara), Teo Nie Ching (Kulai), Nurul Izzah Anwar (Permatang Pauh) and R. Sivarasa (Subang).

MPs with the longest tenures

Along with the record number of new MPs in 2018, there were major upsets for some of the longer-serving MPs.

Among them were the then MCA president Liow Tiong Lai, who lost to rookie Wong Tack in Bentong and then MIC president Dr S. Subramaniam, who was defeated by Edmund Santhara Kumar in Segamat. Liow was gunning for his fifth term while Subramaniam was aiming for his fourth in Johor.

But while some of them bowed out due to the wave of anti-BN sentiments across the country, many others still managed to move into their sixth term and beyond.

Starting from the top are Umno and DAP stalwarts Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Lim Kit Siang. Unshakeable in Gua Musang, Tengku Razaleigh is now in his 11th term after first winning in 1974.

But while Tengku Razaleigh will no doubt hold the record for the most number of terms in one seat, Lim has the distinction of being the only MP to have won Parliament seats in five states.

Starting from Malacca (Kota Melaka in 1969, 1974, 1982), Lim has won in Petaling (1978), Tanjung (1986, 1990, 1995), Ipoh Timor (2004, 2008) and Iskandar Puteri (2013, 2018). The only time Lim lost was in 1999, when he was defeated by Chia Kwang Chye in Bukit Bendera.

But there will be no 12th term for Lim as he has announced during the DAP congress in March he will no longer contest in an election.

Next up are former prime ministers Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Najib Razak, who both have nine terms. While Najib’s nine terms are held in Pekan, Dr Mahathir has served in three constituencies – Kota Setar (1964), Kubang Pasu (1974-1999) and Langkawi (2018).

Not only is Dr Mahathir the longest elected lawmaker in the world at 96, he is also the only MP to have been elected from the 1964 election. The only other MP from the 1960s is Lim, who first won in 1969.

In their eighth terms are former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and DAP’s Tan Kok Wai. Both lawmakers have consistently served in the same constituencies of Pagoh and Cheras (formerly Sungai Besi).

In their seventh terms now are PKR president Anwar (Port Dickson), Law and Parliament Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Santubong) and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party Richard Riot (Serian).

Those in their sixth terms now are PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (Marang), Lim Guan Eng (Bagan), Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Padang Rengas), Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Bagan Datuk), Noh Omar (Tanjung Karang), Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang), Hishammuddin Hussein (Sembrong), Mohd Shafie Apdal (Semporna) and Maximus Ongkili (Kota Marudu).

International Islamic University of Malaysia political science lecturer Dr Lau Tze Wei is not surprised by the number of MPs who have served more than three decades – or six election cycles.

“Those who have served long in Umno for instance are prime minister candidates. They usually climb very high to become the deputy president or president, and as such are very difficult to replace.

“And while you can get young MPs becoming prime ministers in other countries, it’s very hard for that to happen in Malaysia as they have to climb the party ranks before they get a chance. Given that, the MPs have to serve longer before they can be considered PM material,” said Lau.

He said the only exception is now where Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the prime minister despite being the vice-president of Umno.

“But this is due to the multiple changes in the federal government since 2018.”

As for the opposition, Lau said it was similar as parties such as DAP and PAS had very few candidates until 2008 when the opposition broke BN’s two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Prior to that, opposition parties did not have enough candidates and it was common to see leaders such as Lim or Hadi serve a long time, he added. – June 18, 2022.