Najihatussalehah Ahmad

Summary

Dr. Najihatussalehah binti Ahmad is a physician and PAS politician who has served as ADUN for Bota (N40), Perak, under the Perikatan Nasional banner since winning the seat in the November 2022 general election with 37.4% of the vote. She contested elections from GE12 (2008) onwards across multiple constituencies, serving concurrently as head of PAS Muslimat Perak and information chief of the PAS national Muslimat wing before her first electoral win at state level. In the Perak State Assembly, she has focused on constituency-level matters including infrastructure safety, public facilities, and local economic development in the Bota area.

Biography

Dr. Najihatussalehah binti Ahmad is a Malaysian politician and physician who has served as the Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Bota (N40) under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner since November 2022 [1]. She is a member of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), a component party of Perikatan Nasional [1]. Editorial note: Wikipedia's article on her contains two contradictory birth dates — "born 6 June 1964" in the opening line, and "born on 15 November 1966" in the biographical body; this conflict has not been resolved by a third allowlist source and is flagged for editor review. She was born in Pasir Kubu, Pulau Tiga Kiri, Perak, spent parts of her childhood in Parit and Batu Gajah, and moved to Gunung Semanggol in 1976 [1]. She completed early education at SRJK(C) Chong Wah, Gunung Semanggol, and secondary schooling at Sekolah Menengah Raja Perempuan Taayah, Ipoh (1979–1981) and Sekolah Menengah Agama Wilayah Persekutuan, now SMAP Labu (1982–1983) [1]. She obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malaya in 1992 and subsequently served as a medical officer at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (Sources: en.wikipedia.org, malaysiakini.com). Within PAS, she served as head of PAS Muslimat Perak and as information chief of the PAS national Muslimat wing (Sources: sinarharian.com.my, thestar.com.my). She contested elections from GE12 (2008) onwards across three consecutive elections before winning the Bota state seat in GE15 (2022) with 37.4% of the vote and a majority of 1,963 [2]. As ADUN Bota, she has raised constituency issues in the Perak State Assembly including bridge safety, MyKiosk placement, and local economic development (Sources: thestar.com.my, sinarharian.com.my).

Known for

Dr. Najihatussalehah is known as a physician-politician who contested four elections from GE12 (2008) onwards before securing the Bota state seat in GE15 (2022). She served as head of PAS Muslimat Perak and as information chief of the PAS national Muslimat wing, making her one of the more prominent women in PAS's Perak leadership structure. In the Perak State Assembly, she has raised constituency-level issues covering infrastructure, public commercial facilities, and local economic development for the Bota area.

Political positions

As a PAS member under the Perikatan Nasional coalition, Dr. Najihatussalehah has articulated positions consistent with PAS policy. During the 2016 Kuala Kangsar by-election, she stated that PAS would focus on regaining non-Malay voter support following PAS's exit from the Pakatan alliance, conducting Mandarin-language outreach as part of that effort [3]. In the Perak State Assembly, she has raised practical constituency concerns including the condition of bridges between Bota Kanan and Bota Kiri where fatal accidents had occurred [2], the distribution and placement of MyKiosk units in Seri Iskandar and Parit [2], and the development potential of freshwater aquaculture along Sungai Perak — including baung, tilapia, and patin farming — as well as durian and asam gelugur production, as priorities for improving residents' livelihoods [4]. During the Perak state budget debates in 2023, she acknowledged the Menteri Besar's decision to allocate equal constituency funds to opposition representatives [5].

Education

1. 1976Moved to Gunung Semanggol; attended SRJK(C) Chong Wah, Gunung Semanggol, Taiping for primary education.⛓
2. 1979–1981Attended Sekolah Menengah Raja Perempuan Taayah, Ipoh for secondary education.⛓
3. 1982–1983Continued secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Agama Wilayah Persekutuan (now SMAP Labu).⛓
4. 1992Obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malaya.⛓

Before politics

1. Post-1992Served as a medical officer at Kuala Lumpur Hospital after graduating.⛓

Political career

1. 2008Contested Parlimen Parit (GE12) as a PAS candidate; lost to incumbent Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN). First electoral contest.⛓
2. 2013Contested DUN Belanja (GE13) as a PAS candidate; lost to incumbent Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN).⛓
3. May–June 2016Named PAS candidate for the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary by-election; contested as head of PAS Muslimat Perak and committee member of the PAS central Muslimat wing. Lost to BN's Mastura Mohd Yazid, who won with a majority of 6,969 votes.⛓
4. 2018Contested Parlimen Parit (GE14) under the Gagasan Sejahtera (PAS) banner; received 21.5% of votes (7,715 votes), losing to Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN) who received 39.1%.⛓
5. November 2022Won the DUN Bota (N40) seat in GE15 under Perikatan Nasional (PAS), receiving 11,275 votes (37.4%) with a majority of 1,963 over BN's Khairul Shahril Mohamed (9,312 votes, 30.9%).⛓

Election history

• 2022DUN Bota (N40)Won37.4%⛓
• 2018Parlimen ParitLost21.5%⛓
• 2016Parlimen Kuala Kangsar (By-election)Lost⛓
• 2013DUN BelanjaLost⛓
• 2008Parlimen ParitLost⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsDr. Najihatussalehah won the Bota (N40) state seat in GE15 (November 2022) with 37.4% of the vote (11,275 votes) and a majority of 1,963, defeating BN's Khairul Shahril Mohamed (30.9%) and PKR's Usaili Alias (10.4%) in a four-cornered contest.⛓
• GovernmentIn a Perak State Assembly sitting in September 2023, the state government's Infrastructure Committee chairman responded to Dr. Najihatussalehah's query on a dangerous bridge from Bota Kanan to Bota Kiri, confirming JKR would be directed to assess and act on the matter.⛓
• OppositionFreemalaysiaToday reported in September 2025 that Dr. Najihatussalehah was among several PAS state assembly members who were unsuccessful in bids for positions on the PAS Central Committee (AJK PAS Pusat) at the party's 2025 internal elections.⛓
• PublicSinar Harian reported ahead of GE15 that Dr. Najihatussalehah acknowledged being labelled a 'recycled candidate' given her prior losses, but stated she was contesting Bota for the first time — in an area where she lives and works — and highlighted the constituency's potential as a freshwater aquaculture and agricultural economic hub.⛓