Loi Kok Liang

Summary

Loi Kok Liang is the Parti Warisan assemblyman for Api-Api (N20) in Sabah, elected in November 2025 as one of eleven new Warisan faces in the 17th Sabah State Legislative Assembly. A former Kota Kinabalu Warisan party secretary, he has focused his legislative activity on cost-of-living pressures — particularly diesel subsidy policy — as well as education autonomy, urban management, public transport transparency, and flood mitigation in Kota Kinabalu. He sits in opposition to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.

Biography

Loi Kok Liang is the Parti Warisan (WARISAN) assemblyman for the Api-Api state constituency (N20) in Sabah, having won the seat in the 17th Sabah State Election held on 29 November 2025 [1]. He defeated four other candidates — Thonny Chee (PKR–Pakatan Harapan), Ting Shu Kiong (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku), Soh Kee Suat (Parti Bumi Kenyalang), and Ng Chun Sua (Parti Impian Sabah) — with 6,061 votes and a majority of 3,065 [1]. He was one of eleven new Warisan faces elected to the Sabah State Legislative Assembly in that election [2]. Prior to his election, Loi served as Kota Kinabalu Warisan secretary, during which he was a public advocate on education and Sabah state autonomy issues [1]. The Api-Api constituency falls within Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah [3]. Since taking office, Loi has been active on issues including undocumented migrants in Sabah, diesel subsidy reform, urban enforcement, public transport transparency, and flood mitigation in Kota Kinabalu [4]. He sits in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly as part of the Warisan opposition bloc, with Warisan's president Shafie Apdal serving as Leader of the Opposition [3]. The Star's news tags reference him with the "Dr" prefix, though no sourced detail on his specific academic or professional qualification was confirmed at the time of this profile's preparation.

Known for

Loi Kok Liang is known as one of Warisan's newly elected urban assemblymen in Kota Kinabalu following the 2025 Sabah state election. He has been an active voice on issues affecting Sabah's position relative to the federal government, including calls for the reinstatement of a dedicated Sabah education ministry and for Sabah's exemption from the federal targeted diesel subsidy scheme. He has also raised concerns about the rising presence of undocumented migrants and the management of public infrastructure in Kota Kinabalu.

Political positions

On education, Loi has advocated for the expansion of the Dual Language Programme (DLP) so that Mathematics and Science are taught in English across all Sabah schools, and has called for the re-establishment of a Sabah state education ministry to return education policy control to local hands [1]. On cost of living, he and fellow Warisan assemblymen submitted a memorandum to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry seeking Sabah's exemption from the revised targeted diesel subsidy scheme, arguing that Sabah's geographical and infrastructural conditions differ fundamentally from Peninsular Malaysia [5]. He has called for the federal diesel quota to be raised from 200 to 300 litres per month to reflect actual usage patterns in Sabah [5]. On urban management, Loi has called for stronger inter-agency enforcement against street begging and management of the non-citizen population in Kota Kinabalu [6]. On public transport, he has demanded full transparency from the Sabah government, Ministry of Transport, and transport agencies over the implementation and procurement details of the BAS.MY Kota Kinabalu bus service [7]. On infrastructure, he has urged state agencies to accelerate flood mitigation works in Kota Kinabalu ahead of the monsoon season [5].

Political career

1. Pre-November 2025Served as Kota Kinabalu Warisan secretary, advocating publicly on education policy and Sabah state autonomy issues prior to the 2025 state election.⛓
2. November 2025Named as Warisan's candidate for Api-Api (N20) in the 17th Sabah State Election, part of Warisan's full slate of 73 candidates announced by party president Shafie Apdal.⛓
3. 29 November 2025Won the Api-Api seat in the 17th Sabah State Election with 6,061 votes and a majority of 3,065, defeating four other candidates including Thonny Chee (PKR–PH), Ting Shu Kiong (STAR), Soh Kee Suat (PBK), and Ng Chun Sua (PIS).⛓
4. 1 December 2025Expressed gratitude following his election victory and vowed to serve Api-Api with commitment to reform, inclusiveness, and community development.⛓
5. January 2026Joined fellow Warisan assemblymen in issuing a joint statement raising concern over the rising number of undocumented migrants in Sabah, citing statistics department figures showing non-citizens made up 20.9% of Kota Kinabalu's estimated 600,000 residents.⛓
6. February 2026Called for stronger inter-agency enforcement against street begging ('Palauh') in Kota Kinabalu, urging City Hall and other agencies to enhance operational frequency in high-traffic and tourist areas.⛓
7. June 2026Called for full public disclosure of the BAS.MY Kota Kinabalu bus service details, including fleet composition, procurement specifications, and funding utilisation, in support of civil society transparency demands.⛓
8. June 2026Urged the state Irrigation and Drainage Department, Kota Kinabalu City Hall, and Public Works Department to strengthen flood mitigation measures ahead of the monsoon season following flash flooding across several major roads and low-lying areas in Kota Kinabalu.⛓
9. 25 June 2026Jointly called with Luyang assemblyman Samuel Wong on the federal government to raise the targeted diesel subsidy quota from 200 to 300 litres per month and to adopt a more flexible implementation approach suited to Sabah's conditions.⛓
10. 1 July 2026Among seven Warisan assemblymen who submitted a memorandum to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry seeking Sabah's exemption from the revised targeted diesel subsidy scheme.⛓

Election history

• 2025Api-Api (N20)Won59.8%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• OppositionAs a Warisan assemblyman in opposition to the GRS state government, Loi has consistently challenged federal and state policy settings as insufficiently adapted to Sabah's distinct circumstances, including on diesel subsidies, education governance, undocumented migrants, and public infrastructure delivery.⛓
• VerifiedFactsLoi won Api-Api in the 17th Sabah State Election on 29 November 2025 with 6,061 votes and a majority of 3,065. He was one of eleven new Warisan faces elected to the Sabah State Legislative Assembly. The Api-Api seat was previously held by Christina Liew (PKR) under the Warisan Plus pact in 2020 with a majority of 5,347 votes.⛓
• ExpertA Universiti Malaysia Sabah academic noted that the election of 21 new faces — including Loi — in the 2025 Sabah state election showed that party loyalty alone was no longer the primary factor in securing voter support.⛓