Lim Yi Wei

Summary

Lim Yi Wei (born 1989) is the DAP member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kampung Tunku, a seat she has held since May 2018 and successfully defended in the August 2023 state election with a majority of 23,870 votes. A finance graduate of HKUST and former political secretary to MP Tony Pua, she is DAP Wanita national assistant publicity secretary and president of the Selangor Rugby Union — the first woman to hold that post in the union's over-100-year history. Her public positions centre on preventive healthcare, affordable hospital access for Petaling Jaya residents, improved public infrastructure, and a return to social democratic values within DAP.

Biography

Lim Yi Wei (Chinese: 林怡威; born 27 November 1989) is a Malaysian politician serving as the member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kampung Tunku since May 2018 [1]. She is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, and currently holds the post of DAP Wanita national assistant publicity secretary [2]. Born in Ipoh, Perak to a family of teachers, she attended SMK (P) Methodist Ipoh and completed her STPM at SMK Methodist (ACS) Ipoh [1]. In 2013, she graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance [1]. She has cited the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement as the impetus that led her to return to Malaysia in January 2016 to enter politics [1]. Before her election, she served as political secretary to Tony Pua, then-MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, and as a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor [3]. She has held internal party roles including national treasurer for PH's youth wing Angkatan Muda Harapan, DAPSY international secretary, and DAP Wanita Selangor organising secretary [1]. In February 2024, she was elected president of the Selangor Rugby Union, becoming the first woman to lead the organisation since its founding over 100 years ago [4]. She is also a Professional Fellow under the US government's Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), and in 2019 was named one of Prestige Magazine's 40 Under 40 [1].

Known for

Lim Yi Wei is known as the two-term state assemblywoman for Kampung Tunku in Petaling Jaya, where she has focused on constituency-level public health, walkability, and sports infrastructure. She gained wider attention within DAP for publicly calling on the party to return to its social democratic roots, arguing that neoliberal tendencies have supplanted the party's foundational values [4]. She is also the first woman to serve as president of the Selangor Rugby Union [4].

Political positions

On public healthcare, Lim advocates a dual strategy of health promotion alongside construction of new facilities where needed, and has urged the health ministry and Selangor government to secure Budget 2027 funding for a planned public hospital in Petaling Jaya [4]. She has called for rezoning of hospital sites under the institutional and public facilities category to protect land for healthcare use, and has proposed interim measures including adding Universiti Malaya Medical Centre to Selangor's RM10,000 hospitalisation benefit scheme [3]. On sports and active lifestyles, she has called for inter-ministry cooperation to democratise access to public sports facilities and incorporate health education into school curricula [5]. On intra-party ideology, she has stated that DAP's social democratic agenda has been overtaken by neoliberalism, citing reluctance among some leaders to pursue wealth taxes or strengthen labour bargaining power [2]. On academic freedom, she called in 2018 for then-Education Minister Maszlee Malik to relinquish the IIUM presidency, citing a conflict of interest with PH's manifesto commitment to university autonomy [3]. On walkability, she has worked with MBPJ to install push-button pedestrian crossings and PWD-friendly ramps in Kampung Tunku [5].

Education

1. Pre-2009Attended SMK (P) Methodist Ipoh for secondary school and completed STPM at SMK Methodist (ACS) Ipoh.⛓
2. 2013Graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance.⛓

Before politics

1. January 2016Returned to Malaysia to enter politics, citing the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement as motivation.⛓
2. 2016–2018Served as political secretary to Tony Pua, then-MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, and as a councillor with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).⛓

Political career

1. May 2018First elected to the Selangor State Legislative Assembly as member for Kampung Tunku under Pakatan Harapan (DAP), winning the seat in the 14th General Election.⛓
2. 2018Held party roles including national treasurer of PH's youth wing Angkatan Muda Harapan, DAPSY international secretary, and DAP Wanita Selangor organising secretary.⛓
3. August 2023Successfully defended the Kampung Tunku seat in the 15th Selangor State Election (PRN15), defeating Perikatan Nasional's Chin Yoke Kheng with a majority of 23,870 votes, obtaining 26,206 votes to the opponent's 2,366.⛓
4. February 2024Elected president of the Selangor Rugby Union (SRU) uncontested, becoming the first woman to lead the organisation since its founding over 100 years ago.⛓
5. December 2025As DAP Wanita national assistant publicity secretary, publicly called on DAP to return to its social democratic roots, arguing the party's agenda had been overtaken by neoliberalism.⛓
6. May 2026Urged the federal health ministry and Selangor state government to secure Budget 2027 funding for a planned public hospital in Petaling Jaya and called for immediate rezoning of the hospital site.⛓

Election history

• 2023Kampung Tunku (Selangor State)Won⛓
• 2018Kampung Tunku (Selangor State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsLim Yi Wei has served as Kampung Tunku state assemblywoman since May 2018 and was re-elected in August 2023 with a majority of 23,870 votes. She is DAP Wanita national assistant publicity secretary and, since February 2024, president of the Selangor Rugby Union — the first woman to hold the post.⛓
• GovernmentAs a member of the Selangor state ruling coalition (Pakatan Harapan), Lim has consistently engaged state and federal government bodies on local infrastructure including walkability projects executed via the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and Selangor's Penyayang Project, which funded an RM81,700 walkway upgrade in SS2.⛓
• OppositionLim has debated MCA representatives on party positioning and coalition dynamics, including on the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election and the proposal to nominate Chinese new villages for Unesco heritage status. She has publicly pushed back on what she described as racial framing of the Unesco proposal.⛓
• ExpertCodeBlue (Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy) featured Lim as an example of a state-level legislator actively shaping healthy environments through sports facility upgrades, walkability projects, and advocacy for preventive public health — noting her dual strategy of health promotion alongside infrastructure investment.⛓
• PublicConstituency-level coverage indicates Lim engages actively with residents on urban poverty, ageing population challenges, and income inequality in Kampung Tunku, including areas with high social stratification such as SS1 and SS3. She has described urban poverty as a key issue in the constituency.⛓