Leader of the Opposition (Malaysia)

The leader of the opposition (; Jawi: ) in Malaysian Federal Politics is a Member of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives). The leader of the opposition is, by convention, the leader of the largest political party in the Dewan Rakyat that is not in government.

When in the Dewan Rakyat, the leader of the opposition sits on the left-hand side of the centre table, in front of the opposition and opposite the prime minister. The Opposition Leader is elected by the minority party of the House according to its rules. A new Opposition Leader may be elected when the incumbent dies, resigns, or is challenged for the leadership.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and is based on the Westminster model. The Opposition is an important component of the Westminster system, with the opposition directing criticism at the Government's policies and programs, proposing alternative budgets and legislations, give close attention to all proposed legislation and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The Opposition is therefore known as the 'government in waiting' and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system.

Since November 2022, PN has been the largest Malaysian Opposition. Previously, the longest-serving Opposition Leader had been Lim Kit Siang, who served for a total of 28 years (from 1975-1999 and then from 2004-2008).

List of leaders of the opposition of Malaysia Colour key' (for political parties and coalitions):

#PortraitLeader of the OppositionPolitical partyTerm of officeRefsTook officeLeft officeTime in office1. Burhanuddin al-Helmy PMIP 1959 1964 5 years2 Tan Chee Khoon SF (LPM)18 May 196410 January 1966 LPM 10 January 1966 28 May 1968Gerakan28 May 196820 March 1969 Parliament suspended 1969 1971 3. Mohamed Asri Muda PMIP 1971 1973 2 years4. Lim Kit Siang DAP 30 January 1973 31 July 1974 Hansard - 30 January 19735. James Wong Kim Min SNAP 24 August 1974 30 October 19746. Edmund Langgu Anak Saga 4 November 1974 4 November 1975 Hansard - 4 November 19747.Lim Kit Siang DAP 5 November 1975 12 June 1978 Hansard - 5 November 1975 10 October 1978 29 March 1982 Hansard - 10 October 1978 12 October 1982 19 July 1986 Hansard - 12 October 1982 8 October 1986 4 October 1990 Hansard - 8 October 1986 GR (DAP) 10 December 1990 6 April 1995 Hansard - 10 December 1990 DAP 15 June 1995 10 November 1999 Hansard - 15 June 19958.Fadzil Noor BA (PAS) 20 December 1999 23 June 2002 Hansard - 20 December 19999. Abdul Hadi Awang 9 September 2002 4 March 2004 Hansard - 9 September 200210. Lim Kit Siang(b. 1941)MP for Ipoh Timor DAP 19 May 2004 13 February 2008 Hansard - 19 May 200411. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail(b. 1952)MP for Permatang Pauh PR (PKR) 30 April 2008 28 August 2008 Hansard - 30 April 200812. Anwar Ibrahim 28 August 2008 3 April 2013 Hansard - 28 August 2008 26 June 2013 16 March 2015 Hansard - 26 June 201313.Wan Azizah Wan Ismail PH (PKR) 18 May 2015 7 April 2018 Hansard - 18 May 201514.Ahmad Zahid Hamidi BN (UMNO) 18 July 2018 12 March 2019 Hansard - 18 July 201815. Ismail Sabri Yaakob 12 March 2019 24 February 2020 Hansard - 12 March 201916.Anwar Ibrahim PH (PKR) 13 July 2020 24 November 2022 Hansard - 13 July 2020 17. Hamzah Zainudin PN (BERSATU) 10 December 2022 13 February 2026 Hansard - 19 December 2022 Independent13 February 202620 May 2026 18. Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar PN (PAS) 21 May 2026 10 June 2026 19.Hamzah ZainudinPN (WAWASAN)18 June 2026Incumbent

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