Muhammad Zulfadli Zainal

Summary

Muhammad Zulfadli Zainal is a PAS politician and State Assemblyman (ADUN) for N58 Slim in Perak, representing the Perikatan Nasional coalition. He won the seat in the November 2022 state election with 29.9% of the vote, defeating the BN incumbent by a majority of 416 votes — the first PAS win in Slim. In the Perak State Legislative Assembly, he serves in opposition, with a track record of raising questions on Islamic education governance and party-related matters in state proceedings.

Biography

Muhammad Zulfadli Zainal is a Malaysian politician from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) who serves as the State Assemblyman (ADUN) for N58 Slim in Perak, representing the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in the Perak State Legislative Assembly. He first contested the Slim state seat under PAS in the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018, finishing third behind the winning BN candidate Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib and Bersatu's Mohd Amran Ibrahim, receiving 4,103 votes [1]. He did not contest the 2020 Slim by-election, called after Khusairi's death in July 2020, in which PAS did not field a candidate [2]. In the 15th General Election concurrent state polls on 19 November 2022, Zulfadli stood again for the Slim seat under the PN-PAS banner and won with 9,153 votes (29.9% vote share), defeating the BN incumbent Mohd Zaidi Aziz by a majority of 416 votes [3]. Within PAS Perak's youth wing, he previously held the position of Deputy Chief (Timbalan Ketua) of Pemuda PAS Perak, a role he has since vacated following party elections [4]. In the Perak State Legislative Assembly, he has taken an active role as an opposition assemblyman, raising questions on matters including the management and staffing of tahfiz schools in Perak [4] and defending PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's parliamentary attendance record during DUN proceedings in December 2022 [5]. No personal biographical details — including date of birth, educational background, or pre-political career — have been disclosed in available public sources from the allowlist.

Known for

Muhammad Zulfadli Zainal is known as the first PAS candidate to win the N58 Slim state seat, ending a long period of BN dominance in the constituency, by defeating the BN incumbent in the 2022 Perak state election by a narrow 416-vote margin [6]. He is active as an opposition ADUN in the Perak State Legislative Assembly, where he has raised questions on Islamic education policy including the governance of tahfiz schools [4]. He has also previously held a leadership role in Pemuda PAS Perak as its Deputy Chief [4].

Political positions

Based on available sourced records, Zulfadli has demonstrated interest in Islamic education governance, specifically raising questions in the Perak DUN about the management and staffing of the Sekolah Menengah Tahfiz Darul Ridzuan (SMTDR), expressing concern that many teachers at state tahfiz schools remain on temporary contract status [4]. In DUN proceedings in December 2022, he challenged a government assemblyman's data regarding PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's parliamentary attendance record and defended PAS's position [5]. He contests under the PN coalition and serves as part of the opposition bloc in the Perak State Legislative Assembly. No publicly sourced statements on other specific policy areas — such as economic policy, healthcare, housing, or environmental matters — are available from allowlist sources.

Political career

1. May 2018Contested N58 Slim state seat under PAS in GE14, finishing third with 4,103 votes. BN's Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib won with a 2,183-vote majority.⛓
2. November 2022Contested N58 Slim under PN-PAS in the 2022 Perak state election (GE15 concurrent polls). Won with 9,153 votes (29.9%), defeating BN incumbent Mohd Zaidi Aziz by 416 votes to become ADUN for Slim.⛓
3. December 2022Participated in Perak DUN session, challenging a government ADUN's data on PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's parliamentary attendance record during a heated exchange over the anti-party-hopping amendment.⛓
4. May 2023Raised a supplementary question in the Perak DUN on the management and teacher staffing status of the Sekolah Menengah Tahfiz Darul Ridzuan (SMTDR), prompting the Menteri Besar to state the state government was proposing federal takeover discussions.⛓
5. 2025 (before July)Vacated the position of Deputy Chief (Timbalan Ketua) of Pemuda PAS Perak, with the role subsequently filled by Mohammad Omar Adam of Kuala Kangsar.⛓

Election history

• 2022N58 SlimWon29.9%⛓
• 2018N58 SlimLost22.1%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsMuhammad Zulfadli Zainal won the N58 Slim state seat in the 2022 Perak state election under PN-PAS with 9,153 votes (29.9%), defeating BN's Mohd Zaidi Aziz by 416 votes — the first PAS win in this constituency.⛓
• VerifiedFactsIn GE14 (2018), Zulfadli contested Slim under PAS and received 4,103 votes, finishing third in a three-way contest.⛓
• VerifiedFactsZulfadli previously served as Deputy Chief (Timbalan Ketua) of Pemuda PAS Perak and has since vacated the role.⛓
• GovernmentThe Perak Menteri Besar (then under BN-led government) responded to Zulfadli's DUN question by stating the state government proposed to discuss federal takeover of tahfiz school management, acknowledging concerns about teacher employment status at the Sekolah Menengah Tahfiz Darul Ridzuan.⛓
• OppositionAs an opposition ADUN, Zulfadli challenged the Perak government's data and defended his party president's parliamentary record in DUN proceedings, positioning himself as a critic of what he characterised as shallow argumentation by the ruling coalition's assemblymen.⛓