HAMZAH BIN ISHAK
Mr. Hamzah Ishak currently serves as the Deputy Director-General of National Security (Security Management) at the National Security Council (NSC), Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia, a role he has held since 2021. With nearly 30 years in public service, he has extensive experience in national and maritime security, crisis management, and international security policy.
He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Analysis and Security from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), a Diploma from the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science (Geography) from the University of Malaya (UM). His professional training on security includes international fellowships and courses in India, Singapore, Russia, and the United States.
Mr. Hamzah’s expertise spans national and maritime security, crisis management, public order, international relations, human rights, and transnational issues He has represented Malaysia at the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) State Parties Meeting and the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, in Geneva.
He played key roles in the ICJ cases on Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh and Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Ligitan. He also contributed to the formation of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), National Security Policy and key national legal frameworks, including the National Security Council Act 2016 and the Emergency Ordinance 2021