Mohamad Alamin

Summary

Datuk Mohamad bin Alamin (born 23 November 1972) is the UMNO MP for Kimanis, Sabah, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government since December 2022. A lawyer by training who rose through UMNO Kimanis's ranks, he has held the Kimanis parliamentary seat across two consecutive elections (2020 by-election and GE15 2022) and previously served as Deputy Education Minister (2021–2022) and MyIPO Chairman (2020–2022). He is the government's key Dewan Rakyat voice on Malaysian foreign policy, including the South China Sea, Palestine, and Malaysia-Indonesia relations.

Biography

Datuk Mohamad bin Alamin (born 23 November 1972) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kimanis, Sabah, and as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government since December 2022 [1]. He was born in Kampung Kelatuan, Batu Enam Kimanis, Papar, Sabah; his father, Haji Alamin Abdullah, is an ethnic Kadazandusun with distant Tambunan roots, and his mother, Hajjah Juliah Saman, is an ethnic Brunei Malay from Membakut, Beaufort [1]. He received his primary education at Kelatuan Primary School and secondary education at Toh Puan Hajjah Rahmah Religious Secondary School in Kinarut, Papar, before obtaining a Law Degree from the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Sabah and Sarawak High Court in 1997 [1]. Within UMNO Kimanis, he served as Youth Chief (2004–2013), Vice Leader (2013–2018), and is currently division leader [1]. He won the Bongawan state seat in GE13 (2013) by a 3,392-vote majority, before losing it to a Warisan candidate in GE14 (2018) [1]. He entered federal politics by winning the January 2020 Kimanis parliamentary by-election with a 2,029-vote majority over Parti Warisan Sabah's Datuk Karim Bujang [2]. He retained Kimanis in GE15 (November 2022), winning 13,004 votes with a 3,037-vote majority [3]. He served as Chairman of the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) from May 2020 to March 2022, and as Deputy Minister of Education II from September 2021 until the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 [1]. In the 2025 Sabah State Election, he contested the Bongawan state seat but lost to incumbent Dr Daud Yusof of Parti Warisan by 938 votes [4].

Known for

Mohamad Alamin is defined politically as the two-term Kimanis MP who won his federal parliamentary seat through a high-profile January 2020 by-election — one triggered after a Federal Court ruling nullified his predecessor's win — returning the seat to BN with a 2,029-vote majority [5][2]. He currently serves as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, making him Sabah's most senior UMNO voice within the Unity Government on bilateral and multilateral matters including Palestine, the South China Sea, and Malaysia-Indonesia relations [4][6]. He is also the current UMNO Kimanis division chief, a role that places him at the centre of BN's Sabah electoral machinery [1].

Political positions

On foreign policy, Mohamad Alamin has stated that Malaysia favours diplomacy and negotiations over military alliances, including on the Gaza conflict, and that Malaysia is ready to participate in UN-sanctioned peacekeeping missions in Palestine [7]. He has affirmed that Malaysia will not negotiate over the sovereignty of Beting Patinggi Ali in the South China Sea, and that ongoing hydrocarbon exploration activities there will continue [6]. On the Malaysia-Indonesia Sulawesi Sea maritime dispute (Ambalat), he stated that both governments agreed to resolve outstanding issues through existing mechanisms guided by international law [6]. On rule-of-law and consular matters, he reiterated that Malaysia will not shield individuals from corruption probes by foreign governments and will not interfere in legal proceedings taken against Malaysian nationals overseas [8][7]. On domestic UMNO affairs, he has publicly defended UMNO's strength against rival party claims that the party's political dominance is waning [7]. On Kimanis constituency issues, he has opposed the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) and identified cost of living as a key concern of his constituents [8].

Education

1. Primary schoolAttended Kelatuan Primary School in Kimanis, Papar, near his birthplace in Kampung Kelatuan.⛓
2. Secondary schoolAttended Toh Puan Hajjah Rahmah Religious Secondary School in Kinarut, Papar.⛓
3. UniversityObtained a Law Degree from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.⛓

Before politics

1. 1997Admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Sabah and Sarawak High Court.⛓

Political career

1. 2004–2013Served as Youth Chief of UMNO Kimanis division.⛓
2. May 2013Won the Bongawan state assembly seat in GE13 with a 3,392-vote majority — his first electoral victory.⛓
3. 2013–2018Served as Vice Leader of UMNO Kimanis division.⛓
4. May 2018Contested to retain the Bongawan state seat in GE14 but was defeated by Warisan's Daud Yusof.⛓
5. 18 January 2020Won the Kimanis parliamentary by-election, defeating Warisan's Datuk Karim Bujang with a 2,029-vote majority (12,706 votes to 10,677), and was sworn in as MP on 27 February 2020.⛓
6. May 2020Appointed Chairman of the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), a position he held until March 2022.⛓
7. 11 September 2021Sworn in as Deputy Minister of Education II under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's BN administration.⛓
8. 19 November 2022Retained the Kimanis parliamentary seat in GE15, winning 13,004 votes with a 3,037-vote majority in a five-way contest.⛓
9. December 2022Appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government, a post he continues to hold.⛓
10. 29 November 2025Contested the Bongawan state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election (BN candidate) but lost to incumbent Dr Daud Yusof of Parti Warisan by a 938-vote majority in a nine-cornered fight.⛓

Election history

• 2025Bongawan (Sabah State Assembly – 17th Sabah Election)Lost⛓
• 2022Kimanis (Parliament – GE15)Won⛓
• 2020Kimanis (Parliament – By-election)Won54.3%⛓
• 2018Bongawan (Sabah State Assembly)Lost⛓
• 2013Bongawan (Sabah State Assembly)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentAs Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohamad Alamin has consistently articulated that Malaysia's foreign policy is guided by the UN Charter and international law — favouring diplomacy over military action on Gaza, defending Malaysian maritime sovereignty in the South China Sea, and upholding the rule of law in cases involving foreign nationals.⛓
• OppositionDuring the 2025 Sabah state election, GRS Chief Minister Hajiji Noor publicly backed opponent Anifah Aman over Mohamad Alamin for the Bongawan seat, stating that Anifah's experience and service were needed to develop the state — an implicit challenge to Mohamad's local credentials despite his federal ministerial role.⛓
• ExpertAhead of the 2020 Kimanis by-election, a UiTM Sabah academic observer said Mohamad Alamin was perceived as reliant on BN machinery and the influence of Anifah Aman rather than a strong personal grassroots base, and that personalised politics and community outreach would be decisive for his chances.⛓
• PublicKimanis voters in January 2020 flagged cost of living and opposition to the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) as their primary concerns — issues Mohamad Alamin pledged to champion in Parliament following his by-election win.⛓
• VerifiedFactsMohamad Alamin has won two consecutive parliamentary elections in Kimanis (2020 by-election; GE15 2022) and serves as Deputy Foreign Minister since December 2022. He previously served as Deputy Education Minister (September 2021 – November 2022) and MyIPO Chairman (May 2020 – March 2022). He lost the Bongawan state seat in both 2018 and 2025.⛓