Mohd Arsad Bistari

Summary

Datuk Mohd Arsad bin Bistari is the GRS Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for N09 Tempasuk, a seat he has held since September 2020 — first under Barisan Nasional and then under Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah after crossing the floor in February 2023. He was expelled from Sabah UMNO following that move and successfully defended Tempasuk in the November 2025 state election under the GRS banner with a majority of 1,821 votes. He became a subject of public attention in late 2024 after a whistleblower released video recordings allegedly implicating him in corruption, all of which he denied; no finalised legal proceedings arising from those allegations have been confirmed by available sources.

Biography

Datuk Mohd Arsad bin Bistari is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the N09 Tempasuk constituency since September 2020 [1]. He was originally a member of the United Malays National Organisation of Sabah (Sabah UMNO), under which he first won the Tempasuk seat in the 2020 state election with a majority of 1,685 votes [2]. In January 2023, Sabah UMNO moved to withdraw support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's GRS government. Arsad was among a group of Umno assemblymen who declined to support that move [3]. On 21 February 2023, he announced his departure from Umno and joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), a component party of the GRS coalition led by Hajiji Noor [4]. He was subsequently expelled from Sabah UMNO by the party's supreme council [3]. Contesting under the GRS banner as the incumbent in the 17th Sabah State Election held on 29 November 2025, Arsad successfully defended the Tempasuk seat with 4,914 votes and a majority of 1,821 votes in a seven-cornered contest [5]. GRS won 29 seats overall in that election, with Hajiji Noor sworn in for a second term as Chief Minister [6]. No education background, date of birth, or pre-political career details for Arsad were found in available sources.

Known for

Mohd Arsad Bistari is defined politically by his role in the January–February 2023 Sabah political crisis, during which he was among Umno assemblymen who declined to back his party's bid to remove Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, leading to his departure from Umno and entry into GAGASAN [3]. He is the incumbent MLA for N09 Tempasuk and has successfully defended the seat across two state elections under different party banners. He became a subject of public attention in late 2024 following the release of secretly recorded video by a businessman seeking whistleblower status, allegations he denied [6].

Political positions

Based on available sources, Mohd Arsad Bistari's public political stances are primarily defined by his alignment with the GRS coalition and its Sabah Maju Jaya development agenda under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor [2]. In responding to the 2024 allegations, he stated his remarks in the recording referred to challenges in implementing large projects in Sabah, where the approval process involves many parties and high-level procedures [6]. No detailed or independently documented policy positions on specific issues such as education, healthcare, or cost of living were found in available sources.

Political career

1. 26 September 2020Won the N09 Tempasuk seat in the 16th Sabah State Election under the Barisan Nasional (UMNO) ticket with a majority of 1,685 votes.⛓
2. January 2023Was among Sabah UMNO assemblymen who declined to support the party's decision to withdraw BN backing for Chief Minister Hajiji Noor's GRS government, an event known as the Kinabalu Move.⛓
3. 21 February 2023Announced departure from Sabah UMNO and joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), the party led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and a component of the GRS coalition.⛓
4. 9 April 2023Officially expelled from Sabah UMNO by the party's supreme council, alongside assemblymen James Ratib (Sugut) and Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), after having already joined GAGASAN.⛓
5. 29 November 2025Successfully defended the N09 Tempasuk seat in the 17th Sabah State Election under the GRS banner, winning 4,914 votes with a majority of 1,821 votes in a seven-cornered contest.⛓

Election history

• 2025Tempasuk (N09)Won39.8%⛓
• 2020Tempasuk (N09)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMohd Arsad Bistari won N09 Tempasuk in 2020 under BN-UMNO (majority: 1,685 votes) and again in 2025 under GRS-GAGASAN (4,914 votes; majority: 1,821 votes in a seven-cornered contest). He joined GAGASAN on 21 February 2023 and was subsequently expelled from Sabah UMNO.⛓
• GovernmentGRS confirmed Arsad Bistari as its candidate to defend Tempasuk in the 2025 state election. Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, as GAGASAN president, announced Arsad would be defending the seat.⛓
• OppositionSabah UMNO chief Bung Moktar confirmed the expulsion of Arsad from UMNO following his defection to GAGASAN. BN subsequently fielded a separate candidate (Azuwan Marjan) against Arsad in the 2025 state election.⛓
• PublicAccording to The Star, a whistleblower-released video implicating Arsad in alleged corruption did not indicate any substantial evidence of wrongdoing; Arsad denied all claims, said his remarks were in jest, and lodged a police report.⛓