Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan

Summary

Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan is a DAP politician and lawyer representing Segambut (P117, W.P. Kuala Lumpur) in the Dewan Rakyat, currently serving as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) following a Cabinet reshuffle in December 2025. She made history as Malaysia's first female and youngest state assembly speaker (Selangor, 2013–2018) and has held federal Cabinet positions continuously since 2018. She has won the Segambut seat in both GE14 (2018) and GE15 (2022) with majorities exceeding 80% of votes cast.

Biography

Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan (born 9 January 1979 in Subang Jaya, Selangor) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer serving as the Member of Parliament for Segambut (P117), Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, under the Democratic Action Party (DAP) [1]. She completed her early schooling at Sekolah Kebangsaan Subang Jaya and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Subang Utama before graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania in 2001 [2]. After working briefly in Tasmania and then at a legal firm in Petaling Jaya, she transitioned to event management in 2006 before joining DAP the same year [2]. In the 2008 general election she won the Subang Jaya state seat (Selangor) with 23,459 votes and a majority of 13,851 [2]. On 21 June 2013, at the age of 34, she was sworn in as Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, becoming Malaysia's youngest and first female state Speaker [2]. She moved to the federal stage in GE14 (2018), winning the Segambut parliamentary seat with 53,124 votes and a majority of 45,702 [2]. She was appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development on 2 July 2018 under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad [2]. She retained Segambut in GE15 (2022) with 65,290 votes and a majority of 56,980, representing over 80% of the vote [2]. On 3 December 2022 she was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports in the Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet [2]. In December 2025, following a Cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), becoming the first ethnic minority to hold that portfolio [3]. She is also DAP's Central Executive Committee deputy secretary-general for the 2025–2028 term [3]. She is married to Ramachandran Muniandy and they have two children [2].

Known for

Yeoh is best known as the first woman and youngest person to serve as Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (2013–2018) [2]. At the federal level, she has held consecutive Cabinet positions since 2018, progressing from Deputy Minister to full Minister portfolios, and as of December 2025 is the first ethnic minority to lead the Federal Territories portfolio [3]. She has consistently won the Segambut parliamentary seat with margins exceeding 80% of votes cast, establishing one of the largest electoral majorities in Kuala Lumpur [2].

Political positions

Yeoh has positioned herself as an advocate for children's welfare and social reform. As Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (2018–2020), she pledged to be a 'strong voice for children' and was involved in deliberations over the Sexual Harassment Bill [2]. In August 2021 she called on the then-Prime Minister to establish a dedicated Ministry of Children [2]. As Federal Territories Minister from December 2025, she stated her priority was clean governance and basic service delivery in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, pledging to administer the territories in a manner free from corruption and racial bias [4]. She has emphasised that policy delivery and integrity are the core of her public service, and expressed commitment to preserving Malay traditional villages in the federal territories, including Kampung Baru [5]. On inter-religious relations, she defended the practice of respecting dress codes at places of worship regardless of one's own faith, stating that doing so does not constitute disloyalty to one's own community [2].

Education

1. 2001Graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania, Australia.⛓

Before politics

1. Early 2000sWorked as a lawyer in Tasmania before returning to Malaysia and spending three years at a legal firm in Petaling Jaya.⛓
2. 2006Transitioned to the event management industry and joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP) the same year.⛓

Political career

1. March 2008Won the Subang Jaya state seat (Selangor) in GE12 with 23,459 votes and a majority of 13,851, defeating Barisan Nasional's Ong Chong Swen.⛓
2. May 2013Retained the Subang Jaya state seat in GE13.⛓
3. 21 June 2013Sworn in as Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, becoming Malaysia's youngest and first female state Speaker at age 34.⛓
4. 9 May 2018Won the Segambut parliamentary seat in GE14 with 53,124 votes and a majority of 45,702.⛓
5. 2 July 2018Appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the Mahathir cabinet.⛓
6. 19 November 2022Retained the Segambut parliamentary seat in GE15 with 65,290 votes and a majority of 56,980, winning over 80% of votes cast.⛓
7. 3 December 2022Appointed Minister of Youth and Sports in the Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet.⛓
8. 16 December 2025Appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) following Cabinet reshuffle, becoming the first ethnic minority to hold this portfolio.⛓
9. 16 March 2025Appointed DAP Central Executive Committee deputy secretary-general for the 2025–2028 term following party leadership reshuffle.⛓

Election history

• 2022Segambut (P117, W.P. Kuala Lumpur)Won80%⛓
• 2018Segambut (P117, W.P. Kuala Lumpur)Won82%⛓
• 2013Subang Jaya (N31, Selangor State)Won⛓
• 2008Subang Jaya (N31, Selangor State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned race-based criticism of Yeoh's appointment as Federal Territories Minister, stating it was 'atrocious' to reject leaders on the basis of ethnicity, and that she represents government policies, not a political party.⛓
• GovernmentDeputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that Yeoh's appointment would not undermine the Malay agenda in the Federal Territories, saying it was not a racial issue and that the MADANI Government upholds inclusiveness.⛓
• OppositionPAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan criticised Yeoh's appointment as Federal Territories Minister, arguing it was a deliberate strategy to strengthen DAP's influence in Kuala Lumpur and other urban areas.⛓
• OppositionPN's Wan Ahmad Fayhsal criticised Yeoh in 2024 for a perceived lack of hands-on leadership amid controversies surrounding the Paris 2024 Olympics, stating that despite her limited control over sports associations, she bore ultimate responsibility.⛓
• VerifiedFactsYeoh holds constituency P117 Segambut under the Pakatan Harapan coalition, as confirmed on the official Parliament of Malaysia members list.⛓
• VerifiedFactsYeoh is listed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) on the official Prime Minister's Office cabinet page.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Malay Mail reported in June 2024 that Yeoh's husband, Ramachandran Muniandy, is CEO of Asia Mobiliti, a technology company that was one of two contractors delivering Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) services to the Selangor state government. The report noted this relationship raised questions about optics, though it did not allege any wrongdoing by Yeoh herself (Source: malaymail.com).

Notable legal history

In May 2025, the High Court ruled in Yeoh's favour in a defamation suit against Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, ordering him to pay RM400,000 in damages. The court found that Kamarul had made false and malicious claims that Yeoh was promoting a Christian proselytising agenda through her political platform (Source: en.wikipedia.org; theedgemalaysia.com). A separate earlier suit by Kamarul against Yeoh was withdrawn by him in January 2024, with the court ordering him to pay RM5,000 in costs (Source: en.wikipedia.org).