Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican MP |
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Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kepala Batas, Penang |
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Assumed office 2013 |
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Preceded by | Abdullah Badawi (UMNO–BN) |
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
Assumed office 26 October 2015 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Reezal Merican bin Naina Merican July 29, 1972 Kepala Batas, Penang |
Citizenship | Malaysian |
Political party | United Malays National Organisation–BN |
Spouse(s) | Ismalina Ismail, Sharifah Norhaslinda |
Datuk Seri Reezal Merican bin Naina Merican is a Malaysian politician. He is the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the seat of Kepala Batas in the state of Penang. He is also a member of the Supreme Council of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the leading party in Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. He is Indian Muslim.
Before entering Parliament, Reezal worked in the bank sector. When the former Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi retired from politics ahead of the 2013 election, Reezal succeeded him as the division head of UMNO in Kepala Batas and as the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat. Reezal won the seat at the election, defeating a Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) candidate by 4,176 votes. In October 2013, he was one of 25 elected to UMNO's Supreme Council, the body that governs the party.
On 28 July 2015, in cabinet reshuffle made by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Reezal was picked to be the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
On 29 Aug 2015, Reezel intimated that the Foreign Ministry would gather information on Malaysians participating in the Bersih 4 demonstrations abroad for eventual legal action against them, without even citing which law the citizen abroad violated.
Reezal is rumoured to marry a third wife. After first wife Ismalina Ismail and second wife Sharifah Norhaslinda which once filed for divorce with Reezal but retracted.