Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis

Summary

Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis is the two-term WARISAN Member of Parliament for Kota Belud, Sabah, first elected in 2018 when she defeated her second cousin, former Sabah Chief Minister Salleh Said Keruak, and re-elected in 2022 with an increased majority. A trained electrical engineer, she previously served as Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change in the Pakatan Harapan government from 2018 to 2020. In the 2025 Sabah state election, she added the Usukan state seat to her mandates, again defeating Salleh Said Keruak.

Biography

Isnaraissah Munirah binti Majilis @ Fakharudy (born 11 January 1982 in Kota Belud, Sabah) is a Malaysian politician and electrical engineer who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kota Belud (P169) under Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) since May 2018 [1]. She holds a degree from Universiti Malaysia Sabah and is fluent in four languages: English, Malay, Dusun, and Bajau [1]. She began her political career in 2011 under the People's Justice Party (PKR), contesting and losing the Kota Belud parliamentary seat in the 2013 general election against then-incumbent Abdul Rahman Dahlan of UMNO [1]. In 2016, she left PKR to join the newly formed Sabah-based Heritage Party (WARISAN) [1]. She successfully won the Kota Belud seat in the 2018 general election, defeating her second cousin, former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak of UMNO, with a 4,262-vote majority [2]. Following WARISAN's participation in the Pakatan Harapan federal government, she served as Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change under Minister Yeo Bee Yin from July 2018 until the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration in February 2020 [1]. She successfully defended her Kota Belud parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election with an increased majority of 4,582 votes, securing 25,148 votes [3]. She also serves as the chief of WARISAN's women's wing, Wirawati [2]. In the 17th Sabah State Election held on 29 November 2025, she contested and won the Usukan state seat under WARISAN with 6,292 votes and a 442-vote majority, defeating former Sabah Chief Minister Salleh Said Keruak of BN [4].

Known for

Isnaraissah Munirah is known for her successive victories over high-profile UMNO figures in Kota Belud, including former Sabah Chief Minister Salleh Said Keruak in GE14 and again in the 2025 Sabah state election [2][4]. She is also recognised for her persistent advocacy on Sabah-specific issues in Parliament, including healthcare disparities, infrastructure delays, and sovereignty concerns related to the Sulu arbitration claim, the last of which resulted in her two-day suspension from the Dewan Rakyat in July 2022 [5][2]. As WARISAN's Wirawati chief and one of only three WARISAN MPs to win in the 2022 general election, she is one of the more prominent voices for Sabah's interests and for greater women's political participation in Malaysia [1][3].

Political positions

On healthcare, Isnaraissah Munirah has consistently highlighted the gap in health resources between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, including shortfalls in equipment at Kota Belud Hospital, inadequate staffing in district hospitals, and the absence of a molecular laboratory in Tawau. She has called for a dedicated medical assistance fund for low-income Sabahans who must travel far to access hospitals [6]. On sovereignty and national interest, she moved three separate parliamentary motions to debate the PETRONAS asset seizure by purported heirs of the Sulu Sultanate, describing it as a matter of national sovereignty — motions that were rejected by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker on sub-judice grounds, leading to her two-day suspension in July 2022 [5][7]. On infrastructure, she has criticised chronic project delays in Sabah, attributing them to unqualified contractors and lobbyists, and has urged greater accountability in federal project procurement [8]. On elections and civic participation, she urged the federal government to facilitate the return of Sabahans residing in Peninsular Malaysia to vote in the 2025 Sabah state election, citing the lack of postal ballot provisions for this group [7]. During her tenure as Deputy Minister, she oversaw matters relating to Lynas' radioactive waste management, reporting to Parliament on the tightened licence conditions imposed by the then-PH government on the rare-earth plant in Kuantan [9]. She was also among 33 women MPs who called for the Dewan Rakyat to adopt gender-sensitive parliament guidelines in line with Inter-Parliamentary Union standards [1].

Education

1. Pre-2011Graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sabah with a degree in electrical engineering.⛓

Political career

1. 2011Became politically active under the People's Justice Party (PKR).⛓
2. May 2013Contested the Kota Belud parliamentary seat under PKR against UMNO's Abdul Rahman Dahlan, but lost.⛓
3. 2016Left PKR to join the newly formed Sabah-based Heritage Party (WARISAN) and became chief of its women's wing, Wirawati.⛓
4. May 2018Won the Kota Belud parliamentary seat under WARISAN, defeating her second cousin Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak of UMNO with a 4,262-vote majority.⛓
5. July 2018Appointed Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change in the Pakatan Harapan federal government under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.⛓
6. February 2020Ceased serving as Deputy Minister following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration.⛓
7. 18 July 2022Ejected from and suspended for two days from the Dewan Rakyat after repeatedly pressing for a parliamentary debate on the Sulu Sultanate's arbitration claim against Malaysia's PETRONAS assets, with three successive motions rejected by the Speaker.⛓
8. November 2022Successfully defended the Kota Belud parliamentary seat in the 15th general election (GE15) under WARISAN with 25,148 votes and an increased majority of 4,582, defeating Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN) and a Pakatan Harapan candidate.⛓
9. 29 November 2025Won the Usukan state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election under WARISAN with 6,292 votes and a 442-vote majority, defeating Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak (BN) and four other candidates.⛓

Election history

• 2025Usukan (N10) — Sabah State ElectionWon35.6%⛓
• 2022Kota Belud (P169)Won46.5%⛓
• 2018Kota Belud (P169)Won⛓
• 2013Kota Belud (P169)Lost⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsIsnaraissah Munirah is listed as the current MP for P169 Kota Belud under WARISAN on the official Parliament of Malaysia member rolls.⛓
• OppositionSeven WARISAN lawmakers, led by Isnaraissah Munirah, stated that a parliamentary motion on the Paris arbitration award to purported Sulu Sultan heirs was of national importance and must be taken seriously by the House.⛓
• GovernmentDewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun rejected Isnaraissah's motions to debate the Sulu claim on sub-judice grounds, stating that open debate could compromise Malaysia's legal strategies in ongoing overseas proceedings.⛓
• ExpertA Malaysiakini column by another MP argued that the Speaker's sub-judice rationale for rejecting the Sulu debate motion was untenable, noting that Isnaraissah, as a Sabahan MP, had a direct and legitimate interest in raising the sovereignty issue in Parliament.⛓
• PublicSinar Harian noted that Isnaraissah Munirah's confrontation in the Dewan Rakyat over the Sulu issue attracted broad national attention, with other opposition MPs forming a physical barrier to prevent her removal from the chamber.⛓