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Mohamad Sabu

Mohamad Sabu

Party
AMANAH · National Trust Party
Coalition
PH
Constituency
Kota Raja
State
Selangor
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Why this matters to you

As Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mohamad Sabu's decisions directly affect what Malaysians pay for rice, eggs, chicken, and other staple foods — including the timing and scale of government subsidies for egg and chicken producers (Source: theedgemalaysia.com). His ministry's policies on rice import pricing and domestic production targets shape the availability and cost of a core component of the Malaysian household food basket (Source: nst.com.my; freemalaysiatoday.com). As the MP for Kota Raja — a mixed-demographic constituency in Klang, Selangor — he is also the primary parliamentary representative for residents on constituency-level matters such as infrastructure and local services (Source: bernama.com).

Summary

Mohamad Sabu (Mat Sabu), born 1954 in Penang, is the AMANAH president and Member of Parliament for Kota Raja, Selangor, having held the seat since 2018. A veteran opposition figure who served as PAS Deputy President before co-founding AMANAH in 2015, he has served as Minister of Defence (2018–2020) and as Minister of Agriculture and Food Security under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government from December 2022. His ministerial portfolio places him at the centre of national food security, rice supply, and agricultural subsidy policy.

Biography

Mohamad bin Sabu, commonly known as Mat Sabu, was born on 14 October 1954 in Tasek Gelugor, Penang [1]. He attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Mertajam before enrolling at the MARA Institute of Technology (now UiTM) in a Diploma in Food Technology programme, which he did not complete [1]. His political career began with the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) in 1975 and he joined PAS in 1981 [1]. He served as a Member of Parliament for Nilam Puri (1990–1995), Kubang Kerian (1995–1999), and Kuala Kedah (1999–2004), all under PAS [2]. He rose to become Deputy President of PAS from 2011 until 2015 [1]. Following his ouster from PAS leadership at the 2015 party election alongside other progressive leaders known as the G18, he co-founded Gerakan Harapan Baru, which was subsequently rebranded as Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH), with him as its inaugural president [1]. In GE14 (2018), he won the Kota Raja parliamentary seat under Pakatan Harapan with a majority of 71,142 votes and was appointed Minister of Defence by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad [3]. He held the Defence portfolio from May 2018 until the collapse of the PH government in February 2020 [1]. He retained the Kota Raja seat in GE15 (2022) with 73,998 votes and was subsequently appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government cabinet [4]. He holds the honorific title Datuk Seri [5].

Known for

Mohamad Sabu is recognised as a founding figure of AMANAH, having led the progressive faction out of PAS in 2015 to establish the party [1]. He served as Malaysia's Minister of Defence (2018–2020) and subsequently as Minister of Agriculture and Food Security from December 2022 [6]. He has represented Kota Raja, Selangor, in Parliament since GE14 in 2018, winning consecutive terms with substantial vote tallies [7].

Political positions

As Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mohamad Sabu has focused on reducing Malaysia's dependence on food imports by targeting increased domestic rice production and boosting crop yields through technology [2]. He has acknowledged structural challenges including limited farming land, an ageing farmer workforce, and high production costs as reasons for Malaysia's continued reliance on food imports, and has outlined multi-year rice production targets to address self-sufficiency [8]. He has defended the Malaysia-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) as complementary to the national agri-food sector, noting that US agricultural imports cover products with limited domestic supply such as dairy, animal feed, and grains [9]. On subsidies, he oversaw the approval of RM553.19 million in subsidies for egg producers in 2023 as a short-term measure to address supply shortages [10]. He has also advocated for reviewing the ceiling price of local white rice, which had been fixed since 2008, to incentivise paddy farmers [10]. On defence and foreign policy, during his tenure as Defence Minister in 2018, he announced the withdrawal of Malaysian troops from Saudi Arabia to reflect national neutrality [1]. He has also expressed concern about what he described as a resurgence of 'takfiri' culture in Malaysian Muslim public discourse [10].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]malaymail.com
  3. [3]thestar.com.my; en.wikipedia.org
  4. [4]nst.com.my; thestar.com.my
  5. [5]hmetro.com.my
  6. [6]thestar.com.my
  7. [7]thestar.com.my; nst.com.my
  8. [8]codeblue.galencentre.org; freemalaysiatoday.com
  9. [9]codeblue.galencentre.org
  10. [10]theedgemalaysia.com

Education

  1. Pre-1971Attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Mertajam in Penang, then enrolled at MARA Institute of Technology (now UiTM) for a Diploma in Food Technology, which he did not complete due to involvement in the student movement circa 1971–1975.⛓

Before politics

  1. 1975Joined the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), marking the start of his political activism.⛓
  2. 1981Joined PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia).⛓

Political career

  1. 1990First elected to Parliament, winning the Nilam Puri seat in Kelantan under PAS. Served until 1995.⛓
  2. 1995Won the Kubang Kerian parliamentary seat in Kelantan under PAS. Served until 1999.⛓
  3. November 1999Won the Kuala Kedah parliamentary seat in Kedah under PAS. Served until 2004.⛓
  4. 2011Elected Deputy President of PAS, defeating incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa with support from the progressive 'Erdogan' wing of the party.⛓
  5. 6 May 2015Ousted from PAS leadership alongside other progressive leaders (the G18) at the 2015 PAS party election.⛓
  6. 13 July 2015Launched Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB) social movement with the G18 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.⛓
  7. 16 September 2015AMANAH (Parti Amanah Negara) was officially launched at national level, with Mohamad Sabu as its founding president, after the rebranding of the dormant Malaysian Workers' Party.⛓
  8. May 2018Won Kota Raja parliamentary seat under Pakatan Harapan in GE14 with a majority of 71,142 votes.⛓
  9. 13 May 2018Appointed Minister of Defence by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the PH cabinet.⛓
  10. 28 June 2018Announced Malaysia's withdrawal of troops stationed in Saudi Arabia to reflect the country's neutrality in the region.⛓
  11. February 2020Tenure as Minister of Defence ended with the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.⛓
  12. November 2022Retained the Kota Raja parliamentary seat in GE15 under Pakatan Harapan with 73,998 votes.⛓
  13. December 2022Appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government cabinet.⛓

Election history

  • 2022Kota RajaWon⛓
  • 2018Kota RajaWon⛓
  • 1999Kuala KedahWon⛓
  • 1995Kubang KerianWon⛓
  • 1990Nilam PuriWon⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2026AMANAH
    • Imports of agricultural products from the United States are complementary to the national agri-food sector, particularly for products with limited or seasonal domestic production, such as dairy products, animal feed, and grains.

      Mohamad Sabu in a written Dewan Rakyat reply, defending the Malaysia-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART). · Source

  2. 2025AMANAH
    • Local rice is also facing problems because it is too cheap and there is competition from imported rice.

      Mohamad Sabu speaking to reporters at the 'Bank Bergerak' and Madani Adopted Village launch ceremony in Kelantan, commenting on challenges facing domestic rice sales. · Source

  3. 2024AMANAH
    • The agrofood sector contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 11.6 percent.

      Mohamad Sabu speaking in Dewan Rakyat while winding up debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address for his ministry. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • GovernmentAs a cabinet minister and AMANAH president within the Pakatan Harapan-led Unity Government, Mohamad Sabu consistently represents the government's position on food security, describing the agrofood sector's growth and defending trade agreements and subsidy policies as necessary measures for national food supply stability.⛓
  • OppositionOpposition figures including former agriculture minister Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran) have criticised ministry measures on the rice shortage as not addressing the core production problem, and alleged manipulation in the padi and rice industry value chain that warranted stronger ministerial action.⛓
  • PublicAhead of GE15, some Kota Raja residents expressed frustration that Mohamad Sabu was rarely visible in the constituency during flood relief efforts, with one voter quoted by FMT saying that 'during the floods, the politicians were late' and that aid came primarily from NGOs.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsMohamad Sabu won Kota Raja in GE14 (2018) with 90,697 votes and a 71,142-vote majority, and retained the seat in GE15 (2022) with 73,998 votes. He has served as Minister of Agriculture and Food Security since December 2022 under PM Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government. He is the founding president of AMANAH, established in 2015.⛓

Sources

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

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