TopicsPolitician AnalysisMohd Yusni Mat Piah

Mohd Yusni Mat Piah

Party
PAS · Malaysian Islamic Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Penaga
State
Pulau Pinang
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Why this matters to you

As the ADUN for Penaga — the northernmost state constituency in Penang, covering areas around Kepala Batas — Mohd Yusni Mat Piah is the primary elected representative for residents seeking redress on local development, community funding, and state services in that area. His active role as an opposition assemblyman means he scrutinises the state government's budget and policy decisions in the Penang State Assembly, including the distribution of development allocations and the management of zakat funds that directly affect Muslim asnaf recipients in Penang. Constituents in Penaga looking for community project funding or state services should note that opposition ADUNs receive a separate, lower allocation from the state government compared to ruling coalition representatives, an inequality Mohd Yusni has publicly challenged in the assembly (Source: thestar.com.my).

Summary

Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (born 5 April 1974) is a PAS politician and Islamic preacher who has represented the Penaga state constituency in Penang since 2018, making him historically the first PAS ADUN to win that seat. He secured re-election in the 2023 Penang State Election with a majority of 5,537 votes and currently serves as an Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat. As part of the PN opposition bloc in the Penang assembly, he has raised issues ranging from social-moral policy to zakat fund governance in state assembly sittings.

Biography

Mohd Yusni bin Mat Piah (born 5 April 1974) is a Malaysian politician and Islamic preacher (da'i) who has served as the Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Penaga since May 2018 [1]. He is a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. He first won the Penaga seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018, defeating the Barisan Nasional candidate with a majority of 1,132 votes and 8,530 votes obtained — making him the sole PAS representative in the Penang State Legislative Assembly at the time [2]. He successfully defended the seat in the 2023 Penang State Election, securing 13,223 votes (51.9% vote share) against the BN challenger with a majority of 5,537 votes [3]. According to Wikidata, he has nine children. Active as a da'i and Islamic studies lecturer prior to and alongside his political career, he is identified on the Sinar Harian candidate profile as an active preacher (pendakwah) in Islamic study circles [4]. He holds the position of Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat (PAS Central Committee Member) as reported in March 2026 [5]. He previously served as Timbalan Pesuruhjaya (Deputy Commissioner) of PAS Penang at the time of the 2023 state election [6]. As a second-term ADUN, he operates as part of the PN opposition bloc in the Penang State Assembly, which holds 11 of 40 seats following the 2023 election [6].

Known for

Mohd Yusni Mat Piah is known for being the first PAS candidate to win the Penaga state seat, breaking Barisan Nasional's hold on the constituency in GE14 2018, and subsequently holding it for a second term in 2023 with a significantly increased majority [6]. He is also known for raising social-moral policy positions in the Penang State Assembly, including calls to limit alcohol sales and ban 4D lottery outlets in Penang [7]. Within PAS Penang, he has served in senior party leadership roles including as Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Penang and as an Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat [8][5].

Political positions

Mohd Yusni Mat Piah has advocated for social-moral restrictions in Penang, including proposing that Penang limit alcohol sales and ban 4D lottery outlets, citing drink-driving fatalities and the approach taken by PAS-led Kelantan since 1990 [7]. On governance and public finance, he challenged the Penang Chief Minister in the State Assembly to provide equal development allocations to opposition assemblymen, specifically questioning the RM500,000 allocation structure afforded to government representatives [9]. He has raised questions in the State Assembly concerning the governance of zakat funds managed by MAINPP (Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang), including issues related to land purchases and disbursement practices using zakat money [10]. In November 2024, he retracted and apologised in the Penang State Assembly after citing an unverified source to claim that the Prime Minister was among the world's wealthiest leaders; the DUN Speaker reprimanded him for relying on an unreliable source [6]. He has framed his legislative role as representing the interests of the Penaga constituency within the PN opposition bloc in the Penang assembly [11].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]thestar.com.my / en.wikipedia.org
  3. [3]thestar.com.my / sinarharian.com.my
  4. [4]pru.sinarharian.com.my
  5. [5]bernama.com
  6. [6]sinarharian.com.my
  7. [7]freemalaysiatoday.com
  8. [8]utusan.com.my
  9. [9]thestar.com.my
  10. [10]bharian.com.my
  11. [11]hmetro.com.my

Before politics

  1. Pre-2018Active as an Islamic preacher (pendakwah) and Islamic studies lecturer prior to and alongside his political career.⛓

Political career

  1. May 2018Won the Penaga state seat in GE14 for PAS, obtaining 8,530 votes (44.7%) and defeating BN's Mohd Zain Ahmad with a majority of 1,132 votes. Became the sole PAS ADUN in the Penang State Assembly.⛓
  2. 2 August 2018Commenced official service as ADUN Penaga following oath-taking for the 14th Penang State Legislative Assembly term.⛓
  3. December 2021Proposed in the Penang State Assembly that Penang limit alcohol sales and ban 4D outlets, citing drink-driving fatalities; the proposal was heckled by government backbenchers.⛓
  4. August 2023Successfully defended the Penaga seat in the 2023 Penang State Election, representing PN-PAS, with 13,223 votes (51.9%) and a majority of 5,537 over BN's Mohd Naim Salleh.⛓
  5. August 2023Took oath as ADUN Penaga for his second term as part of the 11 PN opposition members sworn in to the Penang State Assembly.⛓
  6. November 2023Challenged Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in the State Assembly to provide equal RM500,000 development allocations to opposition assemblymen, questioning the disparity between government and opposition allocations.⛓
  7. November 2024Retracted and apologised in the Penang State Assembly after citing an unverified source (identified as 'Love Money') to allege the Prime Minister was the 17th wealthiest world leader. He was reprimanded by the DUN Speaker.⛓
  8. November 2025Raised questions in the Penang DUN sitting regarding the governance of zakat funds managed by MAINPP, including land purchase and disbursement practices, prompting subsequent scrutiny and SPRM proceedings.⛓
  9. March 2026Bernama reported he was named as one of four individuals issued a Letter of Demand (LOD) by Penang Deputy Chief Minister I and MAINPP/Zakat MAINPP over allegations made regarding zakat fund governance. He stated he was prepared to defend his position.⛓

Election history

  • 2023Penaga (N01), Pulau PinangWon51.9%⛓
  • 2018Penaga (N01), Pulau PinangWon44.7%⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2026PAS
    • Saya membangkitkan beberapa soalan pada sidang DUN dan meminta penjelasan daripada Mohamad yang juga ketua badan zakat negeri serta Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam negeri.

      Said in response to receiving a Letter of Demand over his questions on zakat fund governance raised in the Penang DUN, as reported by Berita Harian. · Source

  2. 2023PAS
    • Is the Chief Minister brave enough to give such an equal allocation to the Opposition, unlike his predecessor

      Said during the Penang State Assembly sitting when challenging Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow on equal development allocation for opposition ADUNs. · Source

  3. 2021PAS
    • Better to close all gaming premises, because, like alcohol, gambling brings more problems than good.

      Said during the Penang State Assembly debate on the 2022 state supply bill, when proposing restrictions on alcohol sales and 4D outlets. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsMohd Yusni Mat Piah has served as ADUN Penaga since May 2018 and was re-elected in 2023 with 51.9% of the vote. He is a PAS Central Committee member (Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat) and has previously served as Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Penang.⛓
  • OppositionAs Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Penang following the 2023 election, Mohd Yusni framed PN's gains in the Penang State Assembly as evidence of growing public rejection of the Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional administration, and expressed intent to use the expanded opposition presence to advance PN's manifesto proposals.⛓
  • GovernmentThe Star's commentary noted that as a second-term assemblyman, Mohd Yusni was expected to verify information before raising it in the State Assembly, after he retracted an unverified claim about the Prime Minister's wealth in November 2024.⛓
  • PublicSinarharian reported that Mohd Yusni received heckling from government backbenchers when he proposed alcohol sale restrictions and a ban on 4D outlets in the 2021 state assembly session, reflecting the multi-ethnic political dynamics of Penang's legislature.⛓

Sources

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

Reviewed by editorHigh confidence