Abdul Yunus Jamahri

Summary

Abdul Yunus bin Jamahri (born 23 September 1972) is a BERSATU state assemblyman who has held the Kuala Kurau seat (N.09) in Perak's state legislative assembly continuously since March 2008, first under PKR and subsequently under BERSATU following his defection in March 2020. His defection from PKR to BERSATU was a pivotal event that contributed to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state government in Perak, after which he served as a state EXCO member under three successive administrations. He retained the Kuala Kurau seat under the PN banner in the 2022 general election (GE15).

Biography

Abdul Yunus bin Jamahri (born 23 September 1972) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Kuala Kurau constituency (N.09) since March 2008 [1]. He is currently a member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. He was previously a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), under whose banner he first won the Kuala Kurau seat and served as a state executive councillor (EXCO) in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state government of Perak from May 2018 [1]. In March 2020, he defected from PKR and joined BERSATU, a move that contributed to the collapse of the PH Perak state government [2]. He subsequently served as Perak EXCO under the Perikatan Nasional administration of Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu (March 2020 to December 2020), and continued as EXCO under the Barisan Nasional-led administration of Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad from December 2020 to November 2022 [1]. During his time as EXCO, he held portfolios spanning Agriculture, Fisheries, Plantation and Food Security, as well as Infrastructure, Energy, and Water [2][3]. He contested and retained the Kuala Kurau state seat under the PN banner in the 2022 general election (GE15) [4]. He holds the title of Datuk.

Known for

Abdul Yunus Jamahri is known primarily for his decision in March 2020 to defect from PKR to BERSATU, a move that directly contributed to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan state government in Perak [2]. He has held the Kuala Kurau state seat continuously since 2008 across multiple party affiliations and coalition administrations, serving as a state EXCO member under three successive Perak administrations [1]. He has been associated with agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure portfolios during his tenure as EXCO [2].

Political positions

During his tenure as Perak EXCO for Agriculture, Fisheries, Plantation and Food Security, Abdul Yunus Jamahri publicly addressed issues relating to food security and the fishing industry, including responding to incidents of fish deaths in cage-farming areas around Kuala Kurau, Kuala Gula, and Tanjung Piandang caused by algal bloom events [3]. He also engaged with domestic trade and consumer affairs matters during the COVID-19 pandemic, referring complaints from automotive-sector businesses to federal ministries [2]. His party affiliations have shifted from PKR within the PH coalition to BERSATU within the PN coalition; no detailed public statements on specific policy positions such as education, healthcare, or economic policy have been sourced from the allowlist domains.

Political career

1. March 2008First elected as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Kuala Kurau, under PKR.⛓
2. May 2018Re-elected for Kuala Kurau under PKR/Pakatan Harapan banner in GE14; appointed as Perak EXCO member in the PH state government under Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu, holding the Public Amenities, Infrastructure, Agriculture and Plantation portfolio.⛓
3. March 2020Defected from PKR and joined BERSATU, contributing to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state government in Perak. Continued as Perak EXCO under the new Perikatan Nasional administration under Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu.⛓
4. May 2020Appointed Perak EXCO with the portfolio of Agriculture, Infrastructure, Energy and Water under the PN state administration.⛓
5. 2020Portfolio expanded to Agriculture, Fisheries, Plantation and Food Security under PN Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu.⛓
6. December 2020Continued as Perak EXCO for the third term under the new Barisan Nasional-led state administration under Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad, serving until November 2022.⛓
7. November 2022Contested and retained the Kuala Kurau (N.09) state seat under the PN banner in the 15th general election (GE15) as a BERSATU candidate.⛓

Election history

• 2022Kuala Kurau (N.09), PerakWon⛓
• 2018Kuala Kurau (N.09), PerakWon34.4%⛓
• 2013Kuala Kurau (N.09), PerakWon⛓
• 2008Kuala Kurau (N.09), PerakWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsAbdul Yunus Jamahri has served as Kuala Kurau state assemblyman since March 2008 and held Perak EXCO portfolios under three successive state governments of different coalition compositions (PH, PN, and BN-led PN) between 2018 and 2022.⛓
• GovernmentUnder the PN administration, Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu expanded Abdul Yunus Jamahri's EXCO portfolio to include Agriculture, Fisheries, Plantation and Food Security, citing the focus on strengthening the agriculture sector and contributing to the national food security agenda.⛓
• OppositionPKR, following Abdul Yunus Jamahri's defection to BERSATU in March 2020, included him among the elected representatives to whom it sent letters of demand for RM10 million each, citing a legal document signed by PKR candidates before GE14 penalising party defection.⛓
• AffectedFish cage farmers in the Kuala Kurau, Kuala Gula, and Tanjung Piandang areas were affected by a mass fish death event caused by a Cochlodinium algal bloom; Abdul Yunus Jamahri, in his capacity as Perak EXCO for Fisheries, responded by seeking a full investigation report from the Fisheries Research Institute and committed to meeting affected operators.⛓