TopicsPolitician AnalysisAhmad Saad @ Yahaya

Ahmad Saad @ Yahaya

Party
PAS · Malaysian Islamic Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Pokok Sena
State
Kedah
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Why this matters to you

As the MP for Pokok Sena (P008) and an opposition backbencher under PN, Ahmad Yahaya's votes and questions in the Dewan Rakyat affect how legislation — including bills on education, religious affairs, and public order — passes or is challenged in Parliament, directly influencing residents of Pokok Sena and the broader Kedah constituency. His role as Head of the Dewan Ulamak PAS means he carries significant influence over PAS's policy stances on issues such as religious education, civil-syariah law boundaries, and electoral rules, which can shape governance in PAS-led Kedah where public services and development budgets are decided. His active parliamentary questioning — including on Malaysia's foreign policy on Gaza and humanitarian issues — reflects the foreign affairs and security concerns his constituents have raised through him as their representative in the Dewan Rakyat.

Summary

Dato' Haji Ahmad bin Saad @ Yahaya is the PAS Member of Parliament for Pokok Sena, Kedah, serving since November 2022 after winning GE15 with a majority of 31,751 votes [1]. He is the national Head of the Dewan Ulamak of PAS and State Commissioner of PAS Kedah, making him one of the party's senior religious and organisational figures [2]. As an opposition MP under Perikatan Nasional, he has been active in the Dewan Rakyat on issues including Palestinian humanitarian affairs, electoral reform, and religious freedom.

Biography

Dato' Haji Ahmad bin Saad @ Yahaya (also known as Ahmad Yahaya) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pokok Sena (P008), Kedah, under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner, since November 2022 [3]. He is a member of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and holds the position of Head of the Dewan Ulamak of PAS nationally, a post he has held since 2021, as well as State Commissioner of PAS Kedah since 2019 [2]. Prior to his federal parliamentary career, Ahmad served as a Member of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Alor Mengkudu from May 2013 to May 2018 [2]. In the 15th General Election (GE15) on 19 November 2022, Ahmad defeated incumbent Datuk Mahfuz Omar of Pakatan Harapan (Amanah) with a majority of 31,751 votes, obtaining 52,275 votes in total [4]. Wikidata records that he was conferred the Darjah Dato' Setia Diraja Kedah in 2021 [5]. As an opposition MP, Ahmad sits within the PN bloc in the Dewan Rakyat and has been active on issues including the Palestinian cause, electoral reform, and matters of religious freedom. He retained his position as Head of the Dewan Ulamak PAS uncontested for the 2023–2025 term [6]. In June 2026, he raised questions in the Dewan Rakyat regarding Malaysia's government-to-government cooperation on the Palestinian cause and support for humanitarian flotillas to Gaza [6].

Known for

Ahmad Yahaya is identified primarily with his role as Head of the Dewan Ulamak of PAS nationally, the religious scholars' wing of the party, a position he has held since 2021 [2]. He is notable for his landslide victory in GE15 over long-serving Amanah vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar in Pokok Sena, with a majority exceeding 31,000 votes [7]. He is also recognised as PAS State Commissioner for Kedah, making him a senior figure in PAS's governance of Kedah [2].

Political positions

Ahmad Yahaya's recorded parliamentary and public positions reflect the PAS platform within the PN opposition bloc. On religious freedom, Malaysiakini reported that he stated Islam and the Federal Constitution uphold freedom of religion, but that such freedom is not absolute, citing Article 11(4) which prohibits proselytisation of Muslims in Malaysia [8]. On electoral integrity, Utusan Malaysia reported that as Dewan Ulamak chief, he proposed tightening candidate eligibility criteria for elections, including disqualifying individuals convicted of offences carrying sentences of one year or more, or fines exceeding RM2,000 [9][10]. On Malaysia's foreign policy regarding Palestine, he raised questions in the Dewan Rakyat in July 2026 on Wisma Putra's support for the Global Sumud Flotilla and the extent of government-to-government cooperation with European countries on the Palestinian cause [6]. Within PAS party affairs, Sinar Harian reported that he has publicly commented on the opposition's ability to file a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister, noting procedural obstacles including the role of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker [11]. He has also affirmed the unity of PAS's Dewan Ulamak following the party's decision in 2026 to end political cooperation with Bersatu [12].

References

  1. [1]bernama.com; utusan.com.my
  2. [2]en.wikipedia.org
  3. [3]parlimen.gov.my
  4. [4]utusan.com.my; bernama.com
  5. [5]wikidata.org
  6. [6]nst.com.my
  7. [7]bernama.com
  8. [8]malaysiakini.com
  9. [9]utusan.com.my
  10. [10]September 2022
  11. [11]sinarharian.com.my
  12. [12]freemalaysiatoday.com

Political career

  1. 2013Elected as Member of the Kedah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Alor Mengkudu under PAS/Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th General Election.⛓
  2. May 2018Lost the Alor Mengkudu state seat, ending his term as MLA for Alor Mengkudu, which he had held since May 2013.⛓
  3. 2019Appointed State Commissioner (Pesuruhjaya) of PAS Kedah.⛓
  4. 2021Elected as Head (Ketua) of the Dewan Ulamak of PAS nationally. Also conferred the Darjah Dato' Setia Diraja Kedah in the same year.⛓
  5. 19 November 2022Won the Pokok Sena parliamentary seat (P008) in GE15 under PN/PAS, defeating incumbent Datuk Mahfuz Omar (PH-Amanah) with a majority of 31,751 votes and a total of 52,275 votes.⛓
  6. October 2023Re-elected as Head of the Dewan Ulamak PAS for the 2023–2025 term, running uncontested at the party's 64th annual congress.⛓

Election history

  • 2022Pokok Sena (P008)Won59.44%⛓
  • 2018Alor Mengkudu (N — Kedah State)Lost⛓
  • 2013Alor Mengkudu (N — Kedah State)Won⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2026PAS
    • Everything was done internally and carefully to ensure (the state) government's stability and party unity

      Ahmad Yahaya, as PAS Ulama chief, responding to claims that the party leadership had ignored the Perlis Menteri Besar issue, as reported by Free Malaysia Today on 7 February 2026. · Source

  2. 2022PAS
    • Saya melihat sebenarnya ini adalah satu isyarat daripada rakyat yang meletakkan harapan yang sangat tinggi kepada Perikatan Nasional (PN) untuk buat yang terbaik

      Ahmad Yahaya commenting on his GE15 victory in Pokok Sena, as reported by Utusan Malaysia on 20 November 2022. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsConfirmed by parlimen.gov.my as the sitting PN MP for P008 Pokok Sena, Kedah, as of June 2026.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsBernama confirmed Ahmad Yahaya defeated Kedah PH chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar with a majority of 31,751 votes in GE15 (November 2022).⛓
  • OppositionAs an opposition MP under PN, Ahmad has been reported by Sinar Harian raising procedural challenges to a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister, noting the need for the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to allow the motion and for the Prime Minister to release bound coalition MPs from support obligations.⛓
  • GovernmentThe Deputy Foreign Minister responded in the Dewan Rakyat to Ahmad Yahaya's question on Malaysia's support for the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, stating that participation in flotilla missions is a personal decision and reiterating Malaysia's condemnation of actions against humanitarian activists.⛓
  • IndustryThe Edge Malaysia reported that Ahmad Yahaya's 2022 landslide over four-term incumbent Mahfuz Omar by more than 30,000 votes was seen as a significant indicator of the strength of the PN/PAS wave in Kedah during GE15.⛓

Sources

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