Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud is a former trade unionist and Senator from Malaysia. He led the country’s top umbrella union body, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, as president from 2005 to 2010.[1] He also served a single term as Senator in the Dewan Negara from 2012 to 2015.[2]
Syed Shahir was born in Kampung Sega, Raub, Pahang, in 1952.[3]
A young socialist, he became involved in the National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Workers in his early 20s.[4]
He was then selected by Parti Socialist Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM) to contest the Batu Talam state seat in the 1974 Pahang state elections. He lost to a candidate from the ruling Umno/BN coalition.[5]
He became involved in trade union activities and labour movement in Malaysia, and represented the country in various forums, conferences and seminars at the national and international levels.[6]
He remained with PSRM even as the party reverted to the Parti Rakyat Malaysia moniker in the late 1980s and then later initiated a merger with Parti Keadilan Nasional to form Parti Keadilan Rakyat by 2003.
After competing five times for a position in MTUC, he succeeded in becoming MTUC President by defeating veteran unionist Zainal Rampak. He won a second term in 2007[7] and ultimately served from 2005 to 2010.
As MTUC president, he recognised that many traditional working-class jobs were going to migrant labourers and called for greater solidarity among the international workers' movements.[8]
On 7 May 2008, Syed Shahir led hundreds of MTUC members in a demonstration at the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur to send a memorandum to Human Resources Minister Dr S. Subramaniam. They demanded the implementation of a minimum wage of RM900 and a living allowance of RM300 per month.[9]
Syed Shahir was also involved in founding of the Bersih electoral movement which called for free and fair elections. He was a leader of the original Bersih gathering in 2007.[10]
His name was included in a list of 91 opposition leaders who were banned from entering the Kuala Lumpur area during the second Bersih protests in 2011.[11]
In his first election in 1974 he represented PSRM and lost in the contest for the Batu Talam (state constituency) to Umno/BN’s Abdul Rahman Ismail.[12]
In 2004 he returned to electoral politics and contested the Kelana Jaya (federal constituency) under the PKR banner. He was defeated by Loh Seng Kok of MCA/BN, by a margin of 21,571 votes.[13]
In the 2008 Malaysian General Election, Syed Shahir again represented PKR and was defeated by Ong Tee Keat from MCA/BN in the Pandan (federal constituency).[14] Ong won by a majority of 2,961 votes, garnering 25,236 votes while Syed Shahir got 22,275 votes.[15]
On 9 May 2012, Syed Shahir was nominated by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to the Dewan Negara. He served a single three-year term.[16]
After his retirement he was appointed as Institut Pemberdayaan Pekerja Selangor chairperson.[17]