SM Nasimuddin SM Amin

Biography

Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Utama Sheikh Mohammad Nasimuddin Kamal bin Sheikh Mohamad Amin (27 January 1955 – 1 May 2008) was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the Naza Group of Malaysia. Nasimuddin was implicated in the AP controversy of 2005, when he was dubbed the “AP King”. It was claimed that he and three other prominent businessmen were monopolising the issuance of Approved Permits (APs). APs are government-issued permits used to control car imports, whereby 60 percent of APs are given to bumiputra Open AP holders, and 40 percent are given to franchise holders. The practice of APs helped shift dominance of the car import industry from the ethnic Chinese to the Malays. Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad described Nasimuddin as an example of the New Economic Policy’s (NEP) success, Bernama reported..

The Naza Group, formed in 1974, has 14 business divisions including motor trading, bikes, manufacturing, transport services, machine tools/parts, engineering, plantation, cigarette distribution, credit & leasing, water crafts, properties, hotel operation and insurance agency.

Nasimuddin died of stage four lung cancer at a private hospital in Long Beach, California, US on 1 May 2008. He was 53 years old. His body was brought back to Malaysia on 4 May 2008 and taken to Masjid Wilayah, Jalan Duta. More than 6,000 people came to Masjid Wilayah to pay their last respects including the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and current Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The body was later taken to Batu 9 Muslim Cemetery in Hulu Langat, Selangor to be buried next to the grave of his beloved mother, Salbiah Abdul Majid.