Dayang Noorazah Awong Sohor

Summary

Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor (born c. 1988) is the PBB/GPS Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly for N28 Lingga, elected in the 12th Sarawak State Election on 18 December 2021. A holder of a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, she was the youngest woman fielded by GPS in that election. Her legislative focus centres on rural youth economic development, educational infrastructure, and connectivity improvements for the Lingga area in the Sri Aman Division.

Biography

Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor is a Malaysian politician and member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). She serves as the Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for N28 Lingga, a seat within the Sri Aman Division of Sarawak [1]. Born in 1988, she is a native of Sri Aman and holds a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus [2]. She was 33 years old at the time of her nomination for the 12th Sarawak State Election in December 2021, making her the youngest woman nominated by GPS in that election cycle [3]. She contested the Lingga seat — previously held by Datuk Simoi Peri of Barisan Nasional-PBB for three consecutive terms since 2006 — in a six-cornered contest on 18 December 2021 [4]. She won the seat and was subsequently sworn in as Lingga assemblywoman [4]. In her debut sitting at the Sarawak State Assembly in March 2022, she tabled proposals for the development of educational and basic facilities in Lingga [5]. Since taking office, she has advocated for upgrading Lingga to a full district, championed rural infrastructure including the RM848 million Batang Lupar Bridge project, and has drawn public attention to the welfare of impoverished residents in her constituency [6]. She also participated in the passage of the Sarawak Ombudsman Bill 2023 in the State Assembly [7].

Known for

Dayang Noorazah is identified as the youngest woman nominated by GPS in the 12th Sarawak State Election (2021), representing the Lingga constituency in the Sri Aman Division. She is primarily associated with rural development advocacy — particularly youth economic empowerment, educational access, and infrastructure connectivity for Lingga. She has been a sitting member of the 19th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly since December 2021.

Political positions

Dayang Noorazah has publicly prioritised youth economic development and financial inclusion as her core policy focus, arguing that job creation and access to tertiary education are the most urgent needs for Lingga residents, whose livelihoods were significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. She has proposed the establishment of community colleges or university campuses in Lingga to enable a 'trickle-down' economic effect for the rural area [4]. On infrastructure, she has supported the RM848 million Batang Lupar Bridge project, which she says will cut travel time between Lingga and Sebuyau to 30–40 minutes and transform Lingga into a key stopover on the Sarawak Coastal Road [5]. She has also advocated for the long-term administrative upgrading of Lingga to full district status [5]. In the State Assembly, she voted in support of the Sarawak Ombudsman Bill 2023, which made Sarawak the first state in Malaysia to enact ombudsman legislation [7]. She has expressed support for women's political participation and has framed her own candidacy as evidence of GPS's commitment to fielding women leaders [2].

Education

1. Pre-2021Graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus.⛓

Political career

1. December 2021Nominated by GPS/PBB as candidate for N28 Lingga in the 12th Sarawak State Election, the youngest woman nominated by GPS in that election cycle.⛓
2. 18 December 2021Won the N28 Lingga seat in the 12th Sarawak State Election (held 18 December 2021), becoming the first woman elected to represent Lingga. The seat had previously been held by Datuk Simoi Peri of BN-PBB for three terms since 2006.⛓
3. March 2022Made her debut appearance at the Sarawak State Assembly sitting in Kuching, tabling proposals for development of educational facilities and other basic infrastructure in Lingga.⛓
4. November 2023Participated as an ADUN in the passage of the Sarawak Ombudsman Bill 2023, which received unanimous support from the State Assembly and made Sarawak the first Malaysian state to enact ombudsman legislation.⛓
5. March 2024Drew public attention to the unsafe living conditions of an impoverished family in Sri Aman, as reported by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit.⛓

Election history

• 2021N28 LinggaWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentGPS/PBB endorsed Dayang Noorazah as its candidate for Lingga in the 2021 state election, fielding her as part of the coalition's effort to increase women's political representation in Sarawak.⛓
• PublicA local trader in Lingga quoted by Malaysiakini said constituents were primarily concerned that whichever candidate wins should have a vision to change the area's landscape and that voter voices must be heard, regardless of whether the winner was an incumbent or a new face.⛓
• VerifiedFactsDayang Noorazah won the N28 Lingga seat on 18 December 2021 and has served as Lingga assemblywoman since. She participated in the unanimous passage of the Sarawak Ombudsman Bill 2023 in the State Assembly.⛓