Mohammad Yusof Apdal

Summary

Dato' Mohammad Yusof bin Apdal (born 4 January 1960) is the Warisan MP for Lahad Datu (P188, Sabah) since November 2022 and currently serves as Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government. A veteran Sabah politician who previously represented Lahad Datu as a state assemblyman under both UMNO (1985–1989 and 2013–2018) and later Warisan, he is also the younger brother of Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. In November 2025 he additionally won the Silam state seat in the Sabah state election, holding concurrent federal and state legislative mandates.

Biography

Dato' Mohammad Yusof bin Apdal (born 4 January 1960) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lahad Datu (P188, Sabah) since November 2022 under the banner of Parti Warisan [1]. He is the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a position he has held since December 2023 [1]. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Minister of Higher Education from December 2022 to December 2023 [1]. He is the younger brother of Parti Warisan president and Semporna MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, and holds the position of Deputy Division Chief of Lahad Datu within Warisan [1]. Yusof's political career spans four decades. He first served as a Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Lahad Datu state seat between 1985 and 1989 [2]. He later returned to the Sabah state assembly as MLA for Lahad Datu from May 2013 to May 2018, during which time he was a member of UMNO [1]. He contested the 2018 Lahad Datu state seat on a Barisan Nasional ticket but was defeated [3]. He left UMNO to join Warisan in December 2018 [3]. In GE15 (November 2022), he stood as the Warisan candidate for the newly renamed Lahad Datu parliamentary seat, winning with 27,116 votes and a majority of 4,376 votes [4]. In the November 2025 Sabah state election, he contested the Silam seat under Warisan and won with a majority of 1,257 votes [5]. He is confirmed as a WARISAN MP on the official Parliament of Malaysia roster [6].

Known for

Mohammad Yusof Apdal is known as a Sabah-based politician with long roots in Lahad Datu, having represented the area at both state and federal level across multiple decades and two different parties (UMNO and Warisan). As Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, he has been the government's voice on Malaysia's AI roadmap, semiconductor strategy, and biotechnology initiatives. He is also publicly identified as the younger brother of Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Political positions

As Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation since December 2023, Yusof Apdal has articulated the government's position on Malaysia's National AI Roadmap 2021–2025, stating in the Dewan Rakyat that AI is expected to generate a 30 per cent increase in GDP estimates [5]. He has promoted Malaysia's semiconductor industry ambitions, emphasising the need to move up the value chain into integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, and upstream capabilities [7]. He has also supported initiatives to commercialise biotechnology via the BNP Labs network, stressing access to research and development support for SMEs [5]. On higher education policy — his earlier portfolio — he raised the need to attract more SPM school-leavers to pursue tertiary education, noting this was an important matter for youth competitiveness in the job market [8]. Regionally, he has been vocal about development needs in the Lahad Datu parliamentary constituency, which he described as covering 6,488 sq km and a population of 300,000, with key sectors including plantations, fisheries, and eco-tourism [9].

Political career

1. 1985–1989Served as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Lahad Datu state seat (now known as Silam), his first elected office.⛓
2. May 2013Returned to the Sabah State Legislative Assembly as MLA for Lahad Datu, this time under UMNO/Barisan Nasional.⛓
3. May 2018Contested the Lahad Datu state seat on a Barisan Nasional ticket in GE14 but was defeated by Warisan's Dumi Pg Masdal; his term as state assemblyman ended.⛓
4. December 2018Left UMNO and joined Parti Warisan Sabah.⛓
5. 19 November 2022Won the Lahad Datu parliamentary seat (P188) in GE15 under Warisan with 27,116 votes and a majority of 4,376 votes, one of only three Warisan MPs elected nationally.⛓
6. December 2022Appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education in PM Anwar Ibrahim's Unity Government cabinet.⛓
7. December 2023Following a cabinet reshuffle, reassigned as Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation under Minister Chang Lih Kang.⛓
8. 29 November 2025Contested and won the Silam state seat in the Sabah state election under Warisan, gaining a majority of 1,257 votes in an eight-cornered contest.⛓

Election history

• 2025Silam (state seat, Sabah)Won⛓
• 2022Lahad Datu (P188)Won46.6%⛓
• 2018Lahad Datu (state seat, Sabah)Lost⛓
• 2013Lahad Datu (state seat, Sabah)Won⛓
• 1985Lahad Datu (state seat, Sabah)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsConfirmed by the official Parliament of Malaysia portal as YB Dato' Mohammad Yusof bin Apdal, WARISAN, P188 Lahad Datu, member of the 15th Dewan Rakyat.⛓
• GovernmentAs Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Yusof Apdal has publicly championed Malaysia's AI roadmap, semiconductor strategy, and bioeconomy initiatives, positioning MOSTI's programmes as central to national economic transformation.⛓
• OppositionWarisan sits in opposition at the Sabah state level; two Warisan state assemblymen under Yusof's federal constituency defected to other parties in early 2023, signalling intra-coalition tensions at the state level that Yusof publicly commented on.⛓
• PublicUtusan Malaysia reported in March 2025 that Yusof Apdal's constituency engagement sessions in Lahad Datu highlighted local needs across the district's plantation, fisheries, and eco-tourism sectors in an area covering 6,488 sq km with a population of 300,000.⛓