Candidate · N25 Rengit (2022)
Current
Overall due diligence
High
Enhanced due diligence required
Senior state legislative office combined with an ongoing police investigation under the Sedition Act, Penal Code and Communications and Multimedia Act warrants enhanced due diligence.
Electoral resilience
Medium
Won Batu Pahat parliamentary seat in 2008 by a large margin, lost it in 2013, and won the Rengit state seat in 2022 by a reduced margin; now publicly stated he will not defend Rengit.
Political continuity
Elevated
Long-standing UMNO/BN figure who has now resigned from the party, complicating continued alignment with BN.
Integrity signal
Review
No convictions on record, but Johor police confirmed an ongoing investigation under Section 4(1) Sedition Act 1948, Section 505(b) Penal Code and Section 233 CMA 1998 after 153 police reports.
Financial / corporate
Open
No company-registry, asset-declaration, credit-bureau or court-records checks are covered; only a government-agency appointment (JASA) is documented.
Senior state legislative office combined with an ongoing police investigation under the Sedition Act, Penal Code and Communications and Multimedia Act warrants enhanced due diligence.
Public-record review · allegations ≠ findings · a charge is not a conviction · every point links to its source record (E official results, R reviewed records, N collected reports). Prepared by AI from the records on this page; not an analyst finding, and it can be wrong.
According to Wikipedia, Mohd Puad Zarkashi served as a Senator from October 2004 to October 2007.
“Senator from October 2004 to October 2007”
According to Wikipedia, Mohd Puad Zarkashi served as Member of Parliament for Batu Pahat from March 2008 to May 2013.
“Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Pahat from March 2008 to May 2013”
How much due-diligence attention each area needs — not a finding of wrongdoing.
Held senior state office (Speaker of Johor State Assembly) and federal executive office (Deputy Minister of Education), plus UMNO Supreme Council membership.
Long UMNO/BN career links him to federal and Johor-level party leadership and the Najib/Muhyiddin cabinets.
No procurement, contract or tender records supplied.
Only government-agency appointment (JASA) documented; no company-directorship or GLC checks supplied.
Johor police confirmed an ongoing investigation under Section 4(1) Sedition Act 1948, Section 505(b) Penal Code and Section 233 CMA 1998; no acquittal, dismissal or conviction recorded.
Investigation is at inquiry stage, not adjudication; matters remain unresolved in the records supplied.
No asset declarations, SSM filings, Auditor-General findings or financial-disclosure records supplied.
Reported 2012 remarks characterising LGBT persons; reported 2024 calls to investigate the 'Mafia Korporat' video and to reform MACC if allegations are proven.
According to Wikipedia, Mohd Puad Zarkashi served as Deputy Minister of Education in the Barisan Nasional administration under Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin from April 2009 to May 2013.
“He previously served as Deputy Minister of Education in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Najib Razak and former Minister Muhyiddin Yassin from April 2009 to May 2013”
According to Wikipedia, Mohd Puad Zarkashi was appointed Director-General of the Special Affairs Department (JASA) in March 2015 and resigned on 25 April 2018 in protest at not being picked as a Barisan Nasional candidate for the 2018 general election.
“Puad was appointed JASA director-general in March 2015 but he quit on 25 April 2018 in protest for not being picked as a BN candidate for the 2018 general election.”
According to Wikipedia, Mohd Puad Zarkashi served as Speaker of the Johor State Legislative Assembly from April 2022 to July 2026.
“is a Malaysian politician who is the former Speaker of the Johor State Legislative Assembly from April 2022 to July 2026”
According to Wikipedia, Mohd Puad Zarkashi holds a Doctor of Philosophy conferred by the University of Hull.
“He holds a Doctor of Philosophy conferred by the University of Hull.”
Arrests, charges, convictions, sentences, acquittals and pardons as reported by credible sources. Each item is marked with its stage — a charge is not a conviction — and outcomes are listed where reported.
Sinar Harian reported that Johor police confirmed an investigation against former UMNO Supreme Council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi is ongoing, following 153 police reports received nationwide over his statements alleging royal interference in the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, with the probe conducted under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“Polis Johor mengesahkan siasatan terhadap bekas Ahli Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) UMNO, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, susulan beberapa laporan polis yang dibuat terhadapnya, masih diteruskan.”
Allegations and investigations as reported by credible outlets. An allegation is not a finding; read each with its stage and source.
According to Wikipedia, in September 2012 Mohd Puad Zarkashi stated that homosexuals could be identified by characteristics such as wearing "V-Neck and sleeveless clothing" or preferring "tight and light-colored clothing", and that such behaviours were "symptoms" to be disciplined to turn straight "like it's a disease which can be cured".
“In September 2012, Puad stated his belief that homosexuals could be identified through various means including the use of "V-Neck and sleeveless clothing" as well as a person's personal preference for "tight and light-colored clothing". He stated that these characteristics were "symptoms" which would allow parents to spot whether or not their son may be a homosexual, supporting the need to discipline them into turning straight "like it's a disease which can be cured"”
Sinar Harian reported that Mohd Puad Zarkashi called for an immediate investigation into the truth of the 'Mafia Korporat' video allegations linked to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and proposed a total reform of MACC if the allegations are proven true.
“Kena siasat segera kebenarannya, kalau benar buat permbersihan total terhadap SPRM.”
Astro Awani reported that Mohd Puad Zarkashi, Speaker of the Johor State Assembly (DUN Johor), confirmed he will not defend the Rengit state seat in the Johor state election scheduled for 11 July, citing his age of 69 as the main factor.
“Usia adalah faktor utama. Saya sudah berusia 69 tahun. Kalau lima tahun lagi, saya akan berumur 74 tahun. Pada saya, tidak sesuai pada usia itu untuk bertanding lagi di kerusi DUN”
Astro Awani reported that Mohd Puad Zarkashi publicly declared support for Pakatan Harapan candidate Mohamad Yazid Bakri for the DUN Rengit seat in the Johor state election, citing personal rather than party grounds.
“"Sekarang saya tidak berparti. Saya pilih calon kerana peribadi calon. Justeru saya pilih saudara Yazid kerana...," katanya.”
Astro Awani reported that Mohd Puad Zarkashi announced his departure from UMNO with immediate effect on June 25.
“Bekas Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) itu mengumumkan keluar daripada UMNO berkuat kuasa serta-merta pada 25 Jun lalu.”
Sinar Harian reported that Mohd Puad Zarkashi announced his immediate departure from UMNO on 25 June, stating that UMNO could no longer make decisions independently and alleging that Johor UMNO was controlled by the palace in its decision-making.
“Bekas Speaker DUN Johor itu dilaporkan berkata, pengundurannya dibuat kerana UMNO tidak lagi bebas membuat keputusan dan mendakwa UMNO Johor dikawal oleh istana dalam membuat keputusan.”
The Vibes reported that Mohd Puad Zarkashi announced his immediate resignation from UMNO with effect from 25 June 2026, stating the move would allow him to openly criticise the party without being accused of undermining it from within.
“Without hesitation, I announce my resignation from UMNO with immediate effect from today, 25 June 2026. Therefore, UMNO no longer needs to go through the trouble of expelling me. It also makes it easier for me to hold differing views without being accused of betraying the party.”
Contested 3 elections, won 2.
| Election | Seat | Ticket | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor state election 2022 | N25 Rengit | UMNO · BN | 7,903 48.9% | Won by 1,920 |
| GE13 (2013) | P150 Batu Pahat | UMNO · BN | 37,039 49.0% | 2nd of 2 |
| GE12 (2008) | P150 Batu Pahat | UMNO · BN | 32,593 62.4% | Won by 12,968 |
Official gazetted results via the Malaysian Election Corpus (grade A record).
Collected automatically from credible outlets and Wikipedia, then cross-checked: Verified items match the official record, Confirmed items were reported by two or more different outlets, and single-source items are one outlet’s report. Partisan and anonymous claims are never shown.
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