TopicsPolitician AnalysisLoh Sze Yee

Loh Sze Yee

Party
DAP · Democratic Action Party
Coalition
PH
Constituency
Jalong
State
Perak
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Why this matters to you

As the Perak EXCO member overseeing Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development, Loh Sze Yee directly shapes decisions that affect employment opportunities in Perak's hospitality, logistics, and manufacturing sectors — decisions relevant to workers, business owners, and job seekers across the state (Source: bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2390976). For residents of the Jalong constituency specifically, he has been involved in securing flood mitigation funding — a practical concern for households in flood-prone areas of Sungai Siput (Source: thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2023/10/20/rm165mil-for-flood-mitigation-projects-in-sg-siput). His committee's push for new air routes and tourism infrastructure investment also affects local small businesses, tour operators, and hospitality workers who depend on visitor spending for their livelihoods (Source: thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2026/06/26/foreign-visitors-down-domestic-tourists-up-in-perak).

Party History

Loyalist

Has never switched parties.

Career span
2013–2022
Career win rate
100%
  1. DAP

Data from Lompat (by Zach Yek), built on the Malaysian Election Corpus (by Thevesh Thevananthan). CC0.

Summary

Loh Sze Yee (born 7 February 1975) is the DAP assemblyman for Jalong, Perak, first elected in 2013 and re-elected in both 2018 and 2022. Since November 2022 he has served as a member of the Perak State Executive Council, holding the Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development portfolio under Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad. In this role he oversees major economic initiatives including the Lumut Maritime Industrial City project, the Visit Perak tourism campaign, and aviation connectivity efforts at Sultan Azlan Shah Airport.

Biography

Loh Sze Yee (born 7 February 1975) is a Malaysian politician serving as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Jalong since May 2013, representing the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. He received his secondary education at SMK Anderson, Ipoh, before completing a Bachelor of Business Administration at Nottingham Trent University, England [1]. Prior to entering politics, he worked as a lecturer at Olympia College, Ipoh, and is also identified as a businessman [1]. He first won the Jalong seat in the 2013 general election (GE13), defeating BN's Liew Yew Aw with a majority of 6,769 votes [2]. He was re-elected in GE14 in 2018, obtaining 54.5% of the vote and a majority of 9,602 votes over BN-Gerakan's Tan Lian Hoe [3]. He retained the seat again in GE15 in November 2022 [1]. On 22 November 2022, he was appointed to the Perak State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad, taking charge of the Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development portfolio [4]. Within DAP Perak, he has served as a party committee member since 2013 and as Director of Political Education [1]. He was also a member of the Perak State Agricultural Development Corporation Board (PPPNP) from 2018 to 2019 [1].

Known for

Loh Sze Yee is known as a three-term Jalong assemblyman and the Perak EXCO member responsible for tourism, industry, investment, and corridor development since November 2022 [4]. In this role he has been the public face of major Perak economic projects including the Lumut Maritime Industrial City (LuMIC) and the Visit Perak Year 2024 campaign [5]. He also serves as Director of Political Education for DAP Perak, reflecting a role in party capacity-building beyond constituency work [4].

Political positions

As Perak EXCO chairman for Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development, Loh Sze Yee has advocated for diversified economic development in Perak beyond traditional sectors. On the LuMIC project, he has stated that the development encompasses manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing — not merely port infrastructure — aiming to create investment value and ASEAN market access for local firms [5]. On tourism, he has championed connectivity improvements, supporting new air routes into Sultan Azlan Shah Airport including the Ipoh-Singapore Batik Air service launched in December 2024, while acknowledging the impact of flight shortages and global oil prices on international arrivals [6]. He has supported community-based ecotourism, including the Orang Asli-run Jok Maduh D'Kenang ecotourism site in Sungai Siput, which falls within his own constituency [5]. On water resources, he participated in debate on Perak's water regulatory enactment, expressing support for the legislation while urging the state government to carefully consider provisions with unintended consequences [5]. On flood mitigation within his constituency, he has publicly tracked allocations for Sungai Siput infrastructure, including a RM1.65 million package for seven flood-related projects [6].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]malaysiakini.com
  3. [3]election.thestar.com.my
  4. [4]freemalaysiatoday.com
  5. [5]bernama.com
  6. [6]thestar.com.my

Education

  1. Secondary schoolAttended SMK Anderson, Ipoh, for secondary education.⛓
  2. Post-secondaryCompleted a Bachelor of Business Administration at Nottingham Trent University, England.⛓

Before politics

  1. Pre-2013Worked as a lecturer at Olympia College, Ipoh, and was also active as a businessman prior to entering elected politics.⛓

Political career

  1. 2013First elected as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Jalong in GE13, defeating BN candidate Liew Yew Aw with a majority of 6,769 votes.⛓
  2. 2013Became a committee member of DAP Perak, a position he has held since 2013, and later took on the role of Director of Political Education for DAP Perak.⛓
  3. 2018Re-elected for Jalong in GE14 under the Pakatan Harapan banner, securing 54.5% of votes (16,138) and a majority of 9,602 over BN-Gerakan's Tan Lian Hoe.⛓
  4. 2018–2019Served as a member of the Perak State Agricultural Development Corporation Board (PPPNP).⛓
  5. March 2021Re-elected as Director of Political Education of DAP Perak in the party's state committee elections.⛓
  6. November 2022Re-elected to the Jalong state seat in GE15.⛓
  7. 22 November 2022Sworn in as member of the Perak State Executive Council (EXCO), assigned the Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development portfolio under Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad.⛓

Election history

  • 2022Jalong (N22), PerakWon⛓
  • 2018Jalong (N22), PerakWon54.5%⛓
  • 2013Jalong (N22), PerakWon⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2026DAP
    • The new development seeks to change that by allowing visitors to park once and explore multiple areas on foot.

      Said when met at the Ipoh pedestrian bridge and riverfront project site, describing the 'park once, walk everywhere' tourism concept for Ipoh Old and New Towns. · Source

    • Among the reasons for the decline in international tourist arrivals was the lack of flights on the Singapore-Ipoh route, as well as the global oil crisis which also affected the aviation industry.

      Said to reporters after attending Pantai Timur Fest 2026 in Ipoh, explaining the 1.5% drop in international tourist arrivals to Perak in 2025. · Source

  2. Undated
    • If there is too much water, there will be a problem of flash floods, when there is not enough, there will be droughts until plants die and so on.

      Said during debate on the Perak water resources regulatory enactment (RUUSA Perak 2022) at the Perak State Legislative Assembly. · Source

    • Instead, we will develop the existing port, Lumut Port Terminal, more efficiently so that it becomes a key pillar in generating significant investment value for the state.

      Said at a press event on the Lumut Maritime Industrial City (LuMIC) development, clarifying the project's scope beyond port construction. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsLoh Sze Yee has served as Jalong MLA since 2013 and was appointed Perak EXCO for Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development on 22 November 2022, under the unity state government led by Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad (BN).⛓
  • GovernmentAs EXCO chairman, Loh Sze Yee has publicly positioned Perak's Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development agenda as focused on diversified growth — spanning LuMIC industrial development, Visit Perak Year 2024, new international air routes, and community ecotourism — with the state government welcoming private sector participation in managing tourism assets.⛓
  • PublicResidents of flood-prone areas in Sungai Siput have expressed relief at flood mitigation works being addressed, with one resident noting that after 15 years of living in a flood-affected area, she could 'sleep better knowing that flooding problems were being addressed', following a RM1.65 million allocation announced by Loh.⛓
  • IndustryPerak State Development Corp (PKNPk) has described the LuMIC project — which Loh Sze Yee oversees as EXCO — as expected to attract foreign direct investment and create more than 50,000 new job opportunities on a 9,307.7-hectare site in Manjung over 25 years, in partnership with Port of Antwerp-Bruges International.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Wikipedia identifies Loh Sze Yee as a businessman and former lecturer, but no Malaysian news outlet in the allowlist has reported specific details of any current business interests or directorships (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loh_Sze_Yee). No further detail can be confirmed from available sources.

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

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