Muhammad Islahuddin Abas

Summary

Muhammad Islahuddin bin Abas is the Member of Parliament for Mersing (P154), Johor, having won the seat under the Perikatan Nasional banner at GE15 in November 2022 with a majority of 2,337 votes. A BERSATU member and Johor state Information Chief, he has advocated for road infrastructure improvements in his constituency and been active in intra-party debate. In May 2026, his BERSATU membership was suspended for two party election terms for violating the party constitution; he subsequently joined a group of 13 MPs calling for BERSATU to exit or be removed from the Perikatan Nasional coalition.

Biography

Muhammad Islahuddin bin Abas is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Mersing (P154), Johor, since November 2022 [1]. He is a member of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), a component party of Perikatan Nasional (PN), and holds the position of Johor state Information Chief within the party [1]. He won the Mersing parliamentary seat at the 15th General Election (GE15) on 19 November 2022 under the Perikatan Nasional banner, defeating the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan candidates with a majority of 2,337 votes [2]. He took over the seat from Abdul Latiff Ahmad, the previous incumbent who had held it for five consecutive terms [1]. Prior to his election to Parliament, Islahuddin served as an Administrative Assistant to YB Dato' Hj Nooh Gadot at the Advisory Office of the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) from 2010 to 2011 [2]. In Parliament, he has raised questions on infrastructure development, including the proposed extension of the Senai-Desaru Expressway to Mersing, the East Coast Expressway 4 (LPT4) from Pekan to Mersing, and the Mersing bypass project [3]. In May 2026, BERSATU's Disciplinary Board suspended his party membership for two party election terms, effective 11 May 2026, for violating Clause 9.1.4 of the party constitution and its Code of Ethics and Conduct [3]. He confirmed receiving the suspension letter and stated he would not submit an appeal [3]. In June 2026, he was among 13 MPs who signed a joint statement calling for BERSATU to leave or be expelled from the Perikatan Nasional coalition [4].

Known for

Muhammad Islahuddin Abas is recognised as the first-term MP for Mersing who wrested the seat for Perikatan Nasional from a long-held Barisan Nasional incumbent. He served as BERSATU's Johor state Information Chief and was an outspoken advocate on party governance, including publicly calling for Muhyiddin Yassin to assume the BERSATU chairmanship post at the party's 2023 AGM [4]. In 2026, he became publicly identified with a faction of suspended and dissenting BERSATU MPs who called for the party to exit the Perikatan Nasional coalition [4].

Political positions

In Parliament, Islahuddin has focused on infrastructure and connectivity for his constituency, raising questions in the Dewan Rakyat on the readiness to upgrade major highways and roads in Johor — specifically the proposed extension of the Senai-Desaru Expressway to Mersing, the East Coast Expressway 4 (LPT4) from Pekan to Mersing, and the Mersing bypass project [3]. On intra-party matters, he publicly advocated for BERSATU to reinstate its chairmanship post and appoint Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to the role at the party's 2023 Annual General Meeting [5]. Following his suspension from BERSATU in May 2026, he was among 13 MPs who issued a joint statement asserting that the party's leadership had weakened the Perikatan Nasional coalition and calling for BERSATU to exit the coalition [4].

Before politics

1. 2010–2011Served as Administrative Assistant to YB Dato' Hj Nooh Gadot at the Advisory Office of the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ).⛓

Political career

1. November 2022Won the Mersing (P154) parliamentary seat at GE15 under the Perikatan Nasional banner with a majority of 2,337 votes, becoming the first BERSATU MP for the constituency.⛓
2. November 2023As Johor BERSATU Information Chief, publicly called for the party to reinstate its chairmanship post and appoint Muhyiddin Yassin to the role at the BERSATU AGM.⛓
3. May 2026BERSATU's Disciplinary Board suspended his party membership for two party election terms with immediate effect for violating Clause 9.1.4 of the party constitution and its Code of Ethics and Conduct. He confirmed the suspension and stated he would not appeal.⛓
4. June 2026Joined a group of 13 MPs — comprising current or suspended BERSATU members — who issued a joint statement calling for BERSATU to leave or be expelled from the Perikatan Nasional coalition.⛓

Election history

• 2022Mersing (P154)Won31.8%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMuhammad Islahuddin Abas won the Mersing parliamentary seat (P154) at GE15 in November 2022 under the Perikatan Nasional banner with a majority of 2,337 votes and a 31.8% vote share, taking the seat from a long-held BN incumbent.⛓
• GovernmentThen-Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan publicly criticised Islahuddin and other opposition MPs for requesting road upgrades in Mersing after voting against Budget 2026, stating: "Mersing is an opposition constituency, yet their requests are endless."⛓
• OppositionIslahuddin and 12 other MPs — current or suspended BERSATU members — alleged in a June 2026 joint statement that BERSATU's leadership had repeatedly failed to uphold the spirit of cooperation within Perikatan Nasional and that their concerns raised internally with Muhyiddin had been ignored.⛓