Johari Abdul: From Parliament seat to Speaker's office

KUALA LUMPUR: The newly-elected Speaker of Dewan Rakyat Datuk Johari Abdul not only has vast experience in politics but also in government administration.

Johari's road to the Parliament began when he contested for the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat in Kedah in the 10th General Election (GE10) on a PKR ticket. However, he lost on his first attempt.

He tried his luck again in the GE11, this time for a state seat of Batu Arang in Selangor. And again, he was disappointed.

Despite the two defeats, the father bounced back and tried again in the GE12 and he managed to win the Sungai Petani seat, which he then retained for the next three terms.

In fact, the holder of a Master of Strategic Studies from the University of Lancaster, England and a Bachelor of South Asian Studies from Universiti Malaya not only retained the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat but also won the Gurun state seat in the GE14.

In the GE15, he made way for his son, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, 26, to contest the Sungai Petani seat while he defended the Gurun seat.

As expected, Dr Mohammed Taufiq won the seat, and the father and son reunited in the Dewan Rakyat after Johari was elected and took his oath of office as the new Speaker today.

In public administration and involvement in non-governmental organisations, Johari had also served as the Administrative and Diplomatic officer, director of the National Civics Bureau, investment director of Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM), and director of Yayasan Gerak Bakti Kebangsaan.

In 2009, he received the Dato' Setia Diraja Kedah (DSDK) award which carries the title 'Datuk'.

Yesterday, Johari vacated his Gurun state seat with immediate effect.

-- BERNAMA