Mohammad Fahmi Ngah

Summary

Mohammad Fahmi bin Ngah is a PKR politician and aeronautical engineer who has served as the Seri Setia assemblyman and Selangor EXCO member for Islamic Affairs, Halal Industry, Digital Infrastructure, and Science, Technology and Innovation since August 2023. Before entering elected office, he led the Selangor Economic Advisory Office as CEO and was the driving force behind the Smart Selangor digital programme. He has been publicly named as a potential candidate for Selangor Menteri Besar in both 2023 and 2025 succession discussions.

Biography

Mohammad Fahmi bin Ngah is a Malaysian politician and engineer serving as the Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Seri Setia since August 2023 and as a Member of the Selangor State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari [1]. He is a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. Before entering elected politics, Fahmi held a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London and served as Chief Executive Officer of the Selangor Economic Advisory Office, as well as Deputy Program Director of the Smart Selangor Delivery Unit [2][3]. He was also Director of the Selangor Research Institute under state-owned Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) at the time of his election [4]. Fahmi made his electoral debut in the August 2023 Selangor state election, contesting the Seri Setia seat on a PH ticket [1]. He won with 32,367 votes, defeating Perikatan Nasional's Mohd Zubir Embong (21,036 votes), Muda's Dobby Chew (1,357 votes), and independent Harindran Krishnan (693 votes), with a majority of 11,331 [5][6]. Following PH-BN's return to power in Selangor, he was appointed EXCO on 21 and 23 August 2023, receiving the portfolios of Islamic Affairs, Halal Industry, Digital Infrastructure, and Acculturation of Science, Technology, and Innovation [1][7]. He has since been named in media reports as one of the potential candidates for Selangor Menteri Besar should a vacancy arise [8].

Known for

Fahmi Ngah is identified with Selangor's digital transformation agenda, having been the architect of the Smart Selangor programme — including the Smart Selangor parking application with 2.2 million users — before assuming the EXCO portfolio covering digital infrastructure and science, technology and innovation [2]. He also oversees Islamic affairs and the halal industry at the state level, positioning Selangor as a hub for international halal trade [9]. His professional engineering background distinguishes him from most state-level politicians and has been cited as the basis for his technocratic approach to public administration.

Political positions

On digital governance, Fahmi has stated that government applications should function as service-delivery cost centres rather than profit-generating products, arguing that a well-built app is more cost-efficient than maintaining multiple physical citizen counters across the state [9]. On Islamic affairs, he has affirmed the Selangor government's commitment to monitoring and enforcing laws against the promotion of religious liberalism and pluralism, in line with fatwas issued by the Selangor Fatwa Committee and the position of MAIS [5]. On the halal economy, he has advocated aligning halal businesses with digitalisation and technology-based solutions to improve the competitiveness of Selangor SMEs in global markets [9]. On Selangor-sponsored students abroad, he has urged them to resist extremist political ideologies propagated by senior students and to remain focused on their studies [10]. On cybersecurity, he has championed the deployment of AI-based threat monitoring systems (SIEM) to bolster the state's digital defences [8]. On data sovereignty, he has emphasised the importance of Malaysian data not being reliant on foreign servers, informing the Digital Future Blueprint (DxF) 2026–2030 [9].

Education

1. Pre-2016Obtained a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London.⛓

Before politics

1. By 2016Served as Chief Executive Officer of the Selangor Economic Advisory Office and Deputy Program Director of the Smart Selangor Delivery Unit, leading the state's smart city programme.⛓
2. By August 2023Served as Director of the Selangor Research Institute under state-owned Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) prior to his election.⛓

Political career

1. August 2023Contested and won the Seri Setia state seat in the 2023 Selangor state election under the PH banner, securing 32,367 votes with a majority of 11,331 over the PN candidate.⛓
2. 21–23 August 2023Sworn in as Selangor EXCO member and assigned the portfolios of Islamic Affairs, Halal Industry, Digital Infrastructure, and Acculturation of Science, Technology, and Innovation by Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.⛓
3. May 2025Named by The Star as one of the main potential candidates to succeed Amirudin Shari as Selangor Menteri Besar, should Amirudin move to a federal Cabinet post.⛓

Election history

• 2023Seri Setia (N32), SelangorWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMohammad Fahmi Ngah won the Seri Setia seat in the August 2023 Selangor state election with 32,367 votes and a majority of 11,331. He was subsequently appointed Selangor EXCO for Islamic Affairs, Halal Industry, Digital Infrastructure, and Science, Technology and Innovation.⛓
• GovernmentSelangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari appointed Fahmi Ngah to the EXCO on 21–23 August 2023, assigning him four portfolios spanning Islamic affairs, the halal industry, digital infrastructure, and science, technology and innovation, signalling confidence in his technocratic background.⛓
• IndustryFahmi Ngah has been engaged by the halal industry sector through the Selangor International Halal Convention, where he highlighted Selangor's active partnerships with international markets including Japan, the USA, Dubai, Korea, China, and Vietnam to drive global halal business growth.⛓
• ExpertFree Malaysia Today described Fahmi as the 'backbone' of the Smart Selangor programme prior to his election, noting his PhD in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London and his role in building widely-used state digital applications including a Smart Selangor parking app with approximately 2.2 million users.⛓