Mohammad Mohamarin

Summary

Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin (born 10 December 1980) is a three-term member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Banggi (N01), currently representing Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN) under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition after defecting from WARISAN in February 2023. A former teacher and state assistant minister for education and innovation under the WARISAN government (2018–2020), he was re-elected in the 2025 Sabah state election with a majority of 1,306 votes in a 12-cornered contest. He is also Chairman of Sabah Fish Marketing Sdn Bhd (SAFMA) and has consistently advocated for rural infrastructure, water supply, and agricultural development for the island constituency of Pulau Banggi.

Biography

Datuk Mohammad bin Mohamarin (born 10 December 1980) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Banggi (N01) since May 2018 [1]. A native of Kampung Patanunan on Pulau Banggi, he sat for his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in 1997 as part of the first cohort at SMK Banggi, the island's only secondary school [2]. He attended Universiti Malaysia Sabah before beginning a teaching career in 2006 at SK Balambangan on Pulau Balambangan, subsequently serving in schools across the Kudat district for more than ten years [2]. He entered politics around 2017 under Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN), winning the Banggi seat in the May 2018 state election [1]. He served as State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation under Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal from May 2018 until the collapse of the WARISAN state government in September 2020 [1]. He retained the Banggi seat at the 2020 Sabah state election under WARISAN with a majority of 703 votes [3]. On 6 February 2023, he announced his resignation from WARISAN and subsequently joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN) on 21 February 2023, aligning with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor [4]. He currently serves as Divisional Chairman of the N01 Banggi Branch of GAGASAN [1]. In October 2024, he was conferred the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK), carrying the title Datuk, by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah [5]. He won the Banggi seat for a third consecutive term at the 2025 Sabah state election under the GRS banner with 2,484 votes and a majority of 1,306 in a 12-cornered contest [3]. He also serves as Chairman of Sabah Fish Marketing Sdn Bhd (SAFMA), a state government-linked company [2].

Known for

Mohammad Mohamarin is known as the long-serving assemblyman for Banggi (N01), Malaysia's northernmost and largest island constituency, where he has championed rural infrastructure, water supply, and educational access for an isolated island community [2]. He is also identified with his 2023 defection from WARISAN to GAGASAN during the Sabah political crisis, which reinforced the Hajiji Noor-led GRS coalition [4]. In the state assembly, he has advocated for a six-region development framework for Sabah and the upgrade of Banggi sub-district to full district status [2].

Political positions

Mohammad Mohamarin's publicly stated positions centre on rural and island development. In the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, he has proposed a six-zone regional development approach to ensure structured planning across key Sabah districts, arguing that each region should be governed by a special committee of elected representatives, department heads, and economic experts [2]. He has raised the poor condition of road infrastructure on Pulau Banggi — noting only a small portion of roads are paved — and has proposed agricultural programmes including Harum Manis mango and MD2 pineapple cultivation, as well as new tourism sites on the island [2]. He has called on the state government to upgrade Banggi sub-district to full district status, a request the Chief Minister indicated he would consider [2]. On water supply, he credits the GRS-era state government with allocating funds to upgrade Banggi's water treatment plant, contrasting this with what he describes as inaction under the previous WARISAN administration [3]. He has also advocated for Sabah's fisheries sector in his capacity as SAFMA chairman, pushing for the state to position itself as a regional seafood export hub targeting markets in Japan, China, and the Middle East [6]. His broader stance on Sabah autonomy is consistent with GRS's stated emphasis on Sabah-centric governance and reduced dependence on Peninsular Malaysia-based parties.

Education

1. 1997Sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination as part of the first cohort at SMK Banggi, the only secondary school on Pulau Banggi.⛓
2. Late 1990s–Early 2000sAttended Universiti Malaysia Sabah (per Wikidata records).⛓

Before politics

1. 2006Began teaching career at SK Balambangan on Pulau Balambangan, an island near Pulau Banggi, before being transferred to schools in the Kudat district. Served as a teacher for more than ten years.⛓

Political career

1. May 2018Won the Banggi (N01) seat at the 2018 Sabah state election under the WARISAN ticket, becoming MLA for Banggi for the first time.⛓
2. May 2018Appointed State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation of Sabah under Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal's WARISAN state administration.⛓
3. September 2020The WARISAN state administration collapsed; Mohammad Mohamarin's role as State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation came to an end.⛓
4. 26 September 2020Retained the Banggi (N01) seat at the 2020 Sabah state election under the WARISAN ticket, winning with 1,773 votes and a majority of 703.⛓
5. 6 February 2023Resigned from WARISAN alongside assemblymen Norazlinah Arif (Kunak) and Chong Chen Bin (Tanjong Kapor), announcing support for the GRS government led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.⛓
6. 21 February 2023Formally joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), a component party of the GRS coalition.⛓
7. 29 November 2025Won the Banggi (N01) seat for a third consecutive term at the 17th Sabah state election under the GRS ticket, securing 2,484 votes with a majority of 1,306 in a 12-cornered contest.⛓

Election history

• 2025Banggi (N01)Won⛓
• 2020Banggi (N01)Won⛓
• 2018Banggi (N01)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentChief Minister Hajiji Noor indicated that the state government would consider Mohammad Mohamarin's request to upgrade Banggi sub-district to full district status, and proceeded with the groundbreaking of a nearly RM62 million water supply extension scheme for Pulau Banggi, which Mohammad had long advocated for.⛓
• VerifiedFactsMohammad Mohamarin won the Banggi seat three consecutive times (2018, 2020, 2025). He served in two parties — WARISAN and GAGASAN — and held executive office as State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation from 2018 to 2020. He is Chairman of SAFMA, a Sabah state government-linked company. He was conferred the Datuk title (PGDK) in October 2024.⛓
• OppositionMohammad Mohamarin's departure from WARISAN in February 2023 was noted by WARISAN's then-president Mohd Shafie Apdal, to whom Mohammad expressed gratitude and apologies for leaving; WARISAN was left with only 16 assemblymen in Sabah following the defections.⛓
• PublicBanggi residents re-elected Mohammad Mohamarin with an increased majority of 1,306 votes in the 2025 state election, up from 703 in 2020, in a 12-cornered contest, reflecting continued constituency support despite his party change from WARISAN to GRS.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Mohammad Mohamarin serves as Chairman of Sabah Fish Marketing Sdn Bhd (SAFMA), a company owned by the Sabah state government, as reported by Bernama and The Star (Source: bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2554816; thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/04/09/sabah-eyes-regional-seafood-export-hub-status). No private commercial business interests have been reported by allowlist outlets.