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Meet Melaka’s new chief minister

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From businessman to executive councillor, Ab Rauf Yusoh’s steady rise to the coveted post.

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Free Malaysia Today
Ab Rauf Yusof was sworn in as Melaka’s 13th chief minister today, succeeding Sulaiman Ali. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:
Ab Rauf Yusoh has been sworn in as Melaka’s new chief minister after his predecessor Sulaiman Ali resigned yesterday.

Rauf’s appointment follows persistent rumours that he would be appointed chief minister after Barisan Nasional (BN) won the Melaka state election in November 2021.

Born and raised in Melaka, Rauf was educated at SK Jeram and SMK Ghafar Baba. He later furthered his studies at Institut Kemahiran Mara.

Rauf started his career as a young entrepreneur by establishing Malaysia’s first nuclear research lab, Asia Lab Malaysia Sdn Bhd, in 1985 and a company providing non-clinical hospital support services, Radicare Sdn Bhd, in 1995.

He would go on to hold various positions in the corporate-technology world, including board positions with Europlus Berhad and World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (previously known as Putra World Trade Centre).

Rauf had also served as a corporate and technology consultant to several major IT firms, including IBM and Mesiniaga.

As for his time with Umno, Rauf was an executive committee member of the party’s youth wing from 1999 to 2004. He eventually became the party’s executive secretary from 2009 to 2018.

He is also the current Melaka Umno and BN chairman and was recently re-elected to the Umno Supreme Council.

In 2020, Rauf was appointed Melaka state assembly speaker during Sulaiman’s first stint as chief minister. Rauf later contested for a state seat for the first time in the 2021 state polls, winning the Tanjung Bidara seat.

Tanjung Bidara was one of the hot seats in the November 2021 state polls, with Rauf defeating then deputy law minister and Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin by a slim margin of 364 votes.

Rumours that Sulaiman would be replaced surfaced soon after BN won the state election, with Rauf being accused of attempting to lobby top party leaders to become chief minister. He was also absent when Sulaiman was sworn in.

Rauf, who is also the state Umno chairman, later denied talk of any turmoil in the newly-formed state government, saying Sulaiman had the support of the party’s division chiefs.

He was later appointed executive councillor for industry, investment and entrepreneurial development in Sulaiman’s state government.

In December last year, speculation about Sulaiman’s resignation resurfaced after a report said he would be stepping down the following month to make way for Rauf.

In response, Rauf claimed that certain quarters were trying to drive a wedge between him and Sulaiman by spreading malicious rumours about their relationship.

As a state executive councillor, Rauf supported the revival of the Melaka Gateway project last year. The former Pakatan Harapan-led state government had cancelled the project previously.

Rauf also drew criticism last year when he announced that the state government was considering plans for an undersea railway tunnel across the Straits of Melaka to Dumai in Indonesia.

This led to many quarters questioning the tunnel’s feasibility and environmental impact.

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