Background
Shahidan was born in Tambun Tulang on 17 June 1951.
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Shahidan Kassim
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He was the Chief Minister of the State of Perlis from 1995 to 2008. He was elected to the Perlis State Legislative Assembly for the newly created seat of Tambun Tulang in the 1995 election. He immediately became Chief Minister of Perlis, taking over from Hamid Pawanteh.
The Raja insisted upon appointing Maryland Isa instead, exercising his constitutional discretion to prevail over the wishes of Abdullah and UMNO. Shahidan left the Perlis Executive Council (a body akin to a Cabinet), sitting out the 2008-2013 State Assembly term as a backbencher and criticising Maryland Isa"s leadership.
Shahidan defeated the senior Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society) leader Haron Din by 1,371 votes. Despite his return to federal politics, Shahidan had stated before the election that his preference would have been to remain in the State Assembly.
After the election, he was appointed to the Cabinet of Najib Razak as a Minister in the Prime Minister"s Department.
Politics
While Shahidan had the nomination of the Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi, and the state party machinery, the Raja was concerned about the stability of the state government should Shahidan, a powerful but divisive factional figure in UMNO, be reappointed. According to Joceline Tan, columnist for The Star, Shahidan has a "larger-than-life personality" and is known for his "warlord style of politics".
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According to Joceline Tan, columnist for The Star, Shahidan has a "larger-than-life personality" and is known for his "warlord style of politics". He has held numerous positions in sports administration, including the presidencies of the Malaysia Athletic Federation, the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia and the Perlis Football Association. In 2010, he called for Facebook to be banned in Malaysia, citing national security issues after a Facebook account holder was found to have insulted Islam and the current as well as the former Prime Ministers of Malaysia.
Shahidan is a leading proponent of Salafism—a puritanical Sunni Islamic movement opposed by Malaysia"s religious establishment—within UMNO. In 2010 he arranged for a group of young Salafi clerics, including Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, to join UMNO to boost the party"s standing with conservative Muslim voters.
While Chief Minister of Perlis, his government passed anti-apostasy laws in the State Assembly and sought to loosen restrictions on polygamy in the state.
Membership
He is a Minister in the federal Cabinet of Najib Tun Razak and is a member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the seat of Arau, representing the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Shahidan was a member of the Federal Parliament for Arau from 1986 to 1995. His tenure as Chief Minister came to an end in March 2008, when Maryland Isa Sabu, a fellow member of Barisan Nasional, was appointed to the post by Raja Sirajuddin of Perlis after a general election in which UMNO retained its majority in the State Assembly.
Maryland Isa claimed the support of eight out of the 12 other Barisan Nasional members of the Perlis State Assembly to replace Shahidan.
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Born
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Nationality
Malaysia -
Political Party
United Malays National Organisation