TopicsPolitician AnalysisAfif Bahardin

Afif Bahardin

Party
BERSATU · Malaysian United Indigenous Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Taman Medan
State
Selangor
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Why this matters to you

As the Taman Medan assemblyman, Dr Afif sits in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly as an opposition member, meaning residents of Taman Medan — a densely urban constituency in Petaling Jaya — have a representative who scrutinises the Selangor state government's health, housing, and public services policies from the opposition bench. His medical background and active advocacy on issues such as the PJ Hospital project, UMMC housemen shortages, and dengue vaccination mean that healthcare access for PJ and Klang Valley residents is a central focus of his work in the assembly. Taman Medan constituents and Selangor voters broadly are directly affected by his positions on where a new public hospital is sited and how health worker shortages are addressed in their locality.

Summary

Dr Afif Bahardin is a physician-turned-politician from Bersatu who represents the Taman Medan state seat in Selangor under Perikatan Nasional, having won the seat in August 2023 by a margin of 30 votes. A former Penang EXCO member and Seberang Jaya assemblyman from 2013 to 2023, he is a member of Bersatu's Supreme Council and the Selangor PN secretary. He has been a recurring public voice on healthcare reform, including public hospital shortages, a new hospital for Petaling Jaya, and dengue vaccination policy.

Biography

Dr Afif bin Bahardin (born 13 May 1985) is a Malaysian politician and physician currently serving as Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Taman Medan under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner, representing Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) [1]. He grew up in Shah Alam, Selangor, and received his secondary education at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Lenggong/Chenderoh in Perak, before graduating with a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) [1]. After graduating, he worked as a medical officer at Seberang Jaya Hospital and Sungai Buloh Hospital [1]. He entered electoral politics in 2013, winning the Seberang Jaya state seat in Penang under Pakatan Rakyat and was subsequently appointed to the Penang State Executive Council (EXCO) with responsibility for Agriculture, Agro-based Industries, Rural Development, and Health [1]. He retained the Seberang Jaya seat in 2018 under Pakatan Harapan with an increased majority of 7,421 votes [1]. In June 2020, he left PKR and joined Bersatu [1]. In March 2023, the Penang State Assembly declared the Seberang Jaya seat vacant after the Speaker ruled he had violated Penang's anti-party hopping law [1]. He subsequently contested and won the Taman Medan state seat in Selangor in August 2023, defeating the PKR incumbent by a margin of 30 votes [2]. On 28 January 2024, he was appointed to Bersatu's Supreme Council by party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin [3]. He also serves as the Selangor PN secretary [2].

Known for

Dr Afif is the opposition assemblyman for Taman Medan in Selangor and a trained medical doctor who has been a consistent voice on public healthcare reform, including the shortage of housemen in public hospitals and the need for a new government hospital in Petaling Jaya [4]. He previously served over seven years as a Penang EXCO member overseeing health, agriculture, and rural development [1]. He is a member of Bersatu's Supreme Council and serves as Selangor PN secretary [5].

Political positions

On public healthcare, Dr Afif has raised concerns about the Ministry of Health's distribution of house officers and medical officers across public facilities, arguing the system needs opening up to private sector and university hospitals to ease the staffing burden, while maintaining regulatory oversight [4]. He has advocated for a new government hospital in Petaling Jaya, claiming to be the first Selangor assemblyman to raise the matter in the state assembly in 2023, and has suggested government-owned land at UiTM or UIA campuses as alternative sites to avoid costly private land acquisition [4]. He has called for fully subsidised dengue vaccination programmes targeted at hotspot areas in Selangor [4]. On party politics, he has publicly supported maintaining the Bersatu–PAS coalition within PN, arguing both parties need each other to compete in mixed-constituency states [6]. He emphasised the need for more public engagement before health policy reforms — such as tobacco control legislation — are enacted, drawing on his experience leading the Smoke-Free Penang programme [4].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]malaymail.com
  3. [3]thestar.com.my
  4. [4]codeblue.galencentre.org
  5. [5]thestar.com.my; malaymail.com
  6. [6]freemalaysiatoday.com

Education

  1. Late 1990s–Early 2000sReceived secondary education at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Lenggong/Chenderoh in Perak.⛓
  2. Early–Mid 2000sGraduated with a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).⛓

Before politics

  1. Mid-2000sWorked as a medical officer at Seberang Jaya Hospital and Sungai Buloh Hospital after leaving university.⛓

Political career

  1. May 2013Won the Seberang Jaya state seat in Penang under Pakatan Rakyat in his electoral debut, defeating the BN candidate by a majority of 2,459 votes.⛓
  2. 9 May 2013Appointed Penang EXCO Member in charge of Agriculture, Agro-based Industries, Rural Development and Health.⛓
  3. 2014Elected PKR Deputy Youth Chief in PKR party elections.⛓
  4. May 2018Re-elected to the Penang State Legislative Assembly for Seberang Jaya under Pakatan Harapan with an increased majority of 7,421 votes.⛓
  5. March 2020Resigned from the Penang EXCO following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.⛓
  6. 24 June 2020Left PKR and joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).⛓
  7. March 2023Seberang Jaya state seat declared vacant by the Penang State Assembly Speaker after ruling that he had violated Penang's anti-party hopping law by joining Bersatu.⛓
  8. 12 August 2023Won the Taman Medan state seat in Selangor under Perikatan Nasional, defeating the PKR incumbent Ahmad Akhir Pawan Chik by a majority of 30 votes.⛓
  9. 28 January 2024Appointed Member of the Bersatu Supreme Council by party president Muhyiddin Yassin.⛓
  10. 27 September 2024Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the High Court's ruling that the Penang State Assembly's decision to vacate his Seberang Jaya seat was valid.⛓

Election history

  • 2023Taman Medan (Selangor)Won⛓
  • 2018Seberang Jaya (Penang)Won⛓
  • 2013Seberang Jaya (Penang)Won⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2026BERSATU
    • What is clear among the leaders in PN (is that) the one who is most revered (by our rivals) is Muhyiddin.

      Quoted in Free Malaysia Today on 11 January 2026 in response to questions about Muhyiddin Yassin's role within PN. · Source

  2. 2024BERSATU
    • The health care system is collapsing and we are refusing to do anything.

      Said in response to a dire shortage of housemen at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), reported by CodeBlue on 19 January 2024. · Source

  3. 2023BERSATU
    • It's more important that, it was a tough call, definitely it was a tough seat for me, hard fought, alhamdulillah it's a big responsibility for me to prove to the people in Taman Medan and to the people of Selangor, PN will do our best for the people in Selangor, especially for Taman Medan.

      Spoken to reporters at the PN war room in Concorde Hotel, Shah Alam, on the night of his Taman Medan election victory. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • GovernmentAs a Selangor state opposition assemblyman under a Pakatan Harapan-led state government, Dr Afif operates outside the state administration and scrutinises government health, infrastructure, and housing policies from the opposition bench.⛓
  • OppositionDr Afif, as Selangor PN secretary and Bersatu Supreme Council member, has been active in articulating PN's positions on healthcare reform and the Bersatu–PAS coalition dynamic, arguing both parties need each other to compete in non-stronghold states like Selangor.⛓
  • ExpertCodeBlue (Galen Centre) has repeatedly cited Dr Afif as a medically trained legislator on public healthcare issues, including the UMMC housemen shortage, the proposed PJ Hospital, and dengue vaccination policy, reflecting his dual role as a doctor and lawmaker.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsDr Afif won the Taman Medan seat in August 2023 by a majority of 30 votes against PKR incumbent Ahmad Akhir Pawan Chik. He was appointed to the Bersatu Supreme Council in January 2024. The Court of Appeal upheld in September 2024 that his Penang Seberang Jaya seat was validly vacated under Penang's anti-party hopping law.⛓

Notable legal history

In September 2024, the Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the Penang High Court's December 2023 ruling that the Penang State Legislative Assembly's decision to declare the Seberang Jaya seat vacant — following Dr Afif's departure from PKR and joining of Bersatu — was valid under Penang's anti-party hopping law (Article 14A of the Penang State Constitution). Dr Afif had appealed the High Court decision but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal (Source: theedgemalaysia.com; en.wikipedia.org).

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

Reviewed by editorHigh confidence