Aiman Athirah Sabu

Summary

Datuk Aiman Athirah binti Sabu is the AMANAH Member of Parliament for Sepang (P113) and Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in the Anwar Ibrahim Unity Government, a post she has held since December 2023. She is the Women Chief of both AMANAH and Pakatan Harapan, and won the Sepang seat in GE15 with a majority of 8,949 votes against a prominent eight-candidate field. Her ministerial work centres on expanding affordable housing access for low- and middle-income Malaysians through programmes including the SJKP guarantee scheme, PPR construction, and enforcement action against errant housing developers.

Biography

Datuk Hajah Aiman Athirah binti Sabu (full name: Raj Munni binti Sabu) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Sepang (P113), Selangor, since November 2022 [1]. She is a member of Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH), a component of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, and has served as AMANAH's Women Chief since December 2019 [1]. She also holds the position of Women Chief of Pakatan Harapan since September 2021 [1]. In the Anwar Ibrahim Unity Government, she was appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in December 2022, before being redeployed as Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government in December 2023 following a cabinet reshuffle [1]. Prior to her election as MP, she served as a Senator from August 2018 to August 2021 [1]. Academically, she is a graduate of Universiti Sains Malaysia, holding a Bachelor of Social Science with a major in Political Science and a minor in Islamic Studies [1]. Before joining AMANAH, she was a member of PAS, where she held roles including Women Head of Information and Women Acting Director of Elections [1]. She left PAS following the defeat of Mohamad Sabu in a party election and subsequently joined AMANAH, the new party he founded [1]. She has a background in civil society engagement, having worked with JERIT, EMPOWER, and BERSIH [1]. In GE15 (November 2022), she won the Sepang parliamentary seat with 56,264 votes and a majority of 8,949 against an eight-candidate field [2].

Known for

Aiman Athirah is known as the long-serving Women Chief of AMANAH, a role she has held since December 2019, and as Women Chief of Pakatan Harapan since September 2021 [1]. In government, she has focused on affordable housing access for low- and middle-income Malaysians in her role as Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government [3]. She won the Sepang seat in GE15 by defeating high-profile Perikatan Nasional candidate Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun in an eight-cornered contest [2].

Political positions

On housing affordability, Aiman Athirah has advocated capping the ceiling price for affordable homes under the National Affordable Housing Policy at RM300,000 and has promoted the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (SJKP) to assist B40 and M40 first-time buyers [4]. She has highlighted the structural gap in Malaysia's housing market, noting that supply does not fully align with location, income levels, and buyer readiness, and has signalled that the forthcoming National Housing Policy will place stronger emphasis on data-driven planning and housing inclusivity [4]. In relation to developer accountability, she has supported reviewing the Housing Development Act (Act 118) to enable stricter enforcement against developers who abandon projects, including travel bans and licence blacklisting [3]. On women's participation, she stated in December 2022 that raising women's participation in politics would be a priority of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry [5]. On civil liberties, she has a background in activism with BERSIH, the Movement to Abolish the ISA, and efforts against the privatisation of health services [1].

Education

1. Pre-2010sGraduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia with a Bachelor of Social Science (Major: Political Science; Minor: Islamic Studies).⛓

Before politics

1. Pre-2015Joined PAS and held roles including Women Head of Information and Women Acting Director of Elections. Also served as a member of the Supreme Committee of the Central Pakatan Rakyat Women's Council.⛓
2. Pre-2015Active in civil society organisations including JERIT (Oppressed People's Network), EMPOWER, BERSIH, and the Movement to Abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA).⛓

Political career

1. 2015Left PAS following the defeat of Mohamad Sabu in a party election and joined the newly founded Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH).⛓
2. August 2018Appointed as a Senator (Ahli Dewan Negara), a position she held until August 2021.⛓
3. December 2019Elected as the 2nd Women Chief of AMANAH (Angkatan Wanita Amanah).⛓
4. September 2021Assumed the role of 3rd Women Chief of Pakatan Harapan.⛓
5. November 2022Won the Sepang parliamentary seat (P113) in GE15 with 56,264 votes and a majority of 8,949 in an eight-cornered contest.⛓
6. December 2022Appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development under Minister Nancy Shukri in the Anwar Ibrahim Unity Government.⛓
7. December 2023Redeployed as Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government under Minister Nga Kor Ming following the cabinet reshuffle.⛓
8. December 2023Retained her post as AMANAH Women Chief in the party election held on 22 December 2023.⛓

Election history

• 2022Sepang (P113)Won40.8%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentAs Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, Aiman Athirah has presented the Unity Government's position that housing affordability is being addressed through price caps, the SJKP guarantee scheme, PPR construction, and stricter oversight of private developers.⛓
• OppositionMalaysiakini reported that former education minister Maszlee Malik (PKR) called for Aiman Athirah's resignation as Sepang MP and AMANAH Women Chief in July 2024 following her attendance at a school charity event that turned out to be sponsored by a beer company.⛓
• VerifiedFactsSinar Harian confirmed, citing the official Election Commission (SPR) result, that Aiman Athirah won Sepang in GE15 with 56,264 votes (majority: 8,949) out of 137,955 total votes cast, with voter turnout of 83.12%.⛓
• PublicSelangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar was reported by Malay Mail as having accused Aiman of 'normalising' alcohol through her attendance at the Tiger Beer-sponsored school event in July 2024.⛓
• IndustryThe Edge Malaysia reported that Aiman Athirah's February 2026 Dewan Rakyat statement on local councils' limited enforcement powers in strata areas sparked a nationwide debate among strata property residents and management bodies.⛓