Before his regency,Najmul practised law and was a lecturer at the University of Mataram,though he resigned in 2009 when a new regulation prohibited state university employees from running for political office before resigning. [1]
Regent
In 2015,Najmul opted to run as regent against Djohan Sjamsu,receiving backing from the political parties PDI-P,Gerindra,PAN,PKB,and PBB. He defeated Djohan in the election with 68,335 votes (53.5%). [2] He was sworn in as regent on 17 February 2016,with Sarifudin becoming his vice regent. [3]
During his tenure,a series of earthquakes struck North Lombok,killing hundreds of people,and causing widespread damage with tens of thousand of houses damaged and over 100,000 people displaced. [4] In statements to media,Najmul estimated that 80 per cent of the regency was damaged and requested heavy equipment support to rescue trapped survivors in collapsed mosques. [5] During the following months,thousands of displaced residents of North Lombok protested over perceived slowness in reconstruction and the indirect aid mechanism passing through community groups. [6] Speaking with protestors,Najmul stated that the community groups were a requirement by central government agencies distributing the funds. [7] As his office was damaged by the earthquake,Najmul set up an office in a converted shipping container for a time after the earthquake. [7] [8] One year after the earthquake,Najmul stated that 40 per cent of classrooms were still damaged and 55 thousand out of 75 thousand damaged homes had not been repaired. [9]
Najmul faced Djohan Sjamsu again in the 2020 regency election, [2] and was defeated,with Djohan winning 83,659 votes (56.1%) to Najmul's 65,378 (43.9%). [10] Najmul moved to the Perindo Party in 2022. [11] He ran again in the 2024 regency election with Djohan Sjamsu's son Kusmalahadi Syamsuri as running mate, [12] and the pair won the three-way election with 67,323 votes (45.2%). [13] He was sworn in for his second term on 20 February 2025. [1] In his second term,he began the process of splitting off the Gili Islands into their own district. [14]
