Rasman Ithnain

Summary

Rasman bin Ithnain is a Johor-based politician from BERSATU who represented the Sedili state seat for three terms (2008–2022), originally under UMNO before switching to BERSATU in 2018. He served on the FELDA board of directors and has been vocal on settler debt issues. He was discharged and acquitted of a molestation charge in January 2023, and was named as PN's candidate for Sedili in the 16th Johor state election scheduled for 11 July 2026.

Biography

Rasman bin Ithnain is a Malaysian politician from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) based in Johor. He served as the Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Sedili (N36) for three consecutive terms from 2008 to 2022, initially under the UMNO banner [1]. He contested the 2008, 2013, and 2018 state elections for Sedili under UMNO, winning each time [2][3][4]. Following the 14th General Election in May 2018, he vacated UMNO and formally joined BERSATU on 19 November 2018, becoming the Kota Tinggi BERSATU division chief [2][5][6]. In addition to his legislative role, he served as a member of the board of directors of the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) [1]. He was not fielded as a candidate in either the March 2022 Johor state election or the 15th General Election in November 2022 [2][3][4]. In June 2022, he was charged with outraging the modesty of a woman; he pleaded not guilty. In January 2023, the Muar Magistrate's Court discharged and acquitted him after the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case [7][3][8][3][4]. In June 2026, Bersatu named him as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for Sedili (N36) in the upcoming 16th Johor state election, scheduled for 11 July 2026 [7][9][10]. His son, Mohamad Alias Rasman, was simultaneously named as the PN candidate for the neighbouring Panti (N34) seat [2][11][10].

Known for

Rasman Ithnain is known for holding the Sedili state seat for three consecutive terms (2008–2022), first under UMNO and subsequently under BERSATU after switching party allegiance in 2018. He is associated with FELDA settler affairs, having served on the FELDA board of directors and publicly commented on the agency's debt management policies. He is also notable as part of a father-and-son political pairing with his son Mohamad Alias Rasman, both fielded as Bersatu/PN candidates in the 2026 Johor state election.

Political positions

Rasman has not been publicly associated with a formally articulated policy platform in sources available from the allowlist. His public commentary has focused on FELDA settler welfare: in July 2023, Malay Mail reported that as a former FELDA director he argued that the process of writing off settlers' debts via sukuk had begun in 2021, predating current government claims, and he called on the prime minister and the minister in charge of FELDA to engage directly with settlers on debt cancellation rather than through intermediaries [7][12][4]. His political trajectory — from UMNO to BERSATU within the Pakatan Harapan coalition, and then remaining with BERSATU as it moved into the Perikatan Nasional opposition — places him in the Malay nationalist, opposition-bloc camp as of 2026.

Political career

1. March 2008Elected as Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly for Sedili (N36) under UMNO in the 12th General Election, beginning his first term.⛓
2. May 2013Re-elected as Sedili assemblyman under UMNO in the 13th General Election, serving his second term.⛓
3. May 2018Re-elected as Sedili assemblyman under UMNO in the 14th General Election, winning his third consecutive term.⛓
4. 19 November 2018Formally joined BERSATU, crossing over from his independent position following his earlier departure from UMNO. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian confirmed the membership. He became the Kota Tinggi BERSATU division chief.⛓
5. 2019–2022Served as a member of the board of directors of FELDA while continuing as Sedili assemblyman under BERSATU.⛓
6. 22 January 2022Sedili state assembly term ended upon dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly. Rasman was not fielded as a candidate in the subsequent March 2022 Johor state election.⛓
7. 12 June 2022Charged at the Muar Magistrate's Court under Section 354 of the Penal Code with outraging the modesty of a woman. Pleaded not guilty.⛓
8. 3 January 2023Discharged and acquitted by the Muar Magistrate's Court after the court found the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case. All charges dropped.⛓
9. July 2023As former FELDA director, publicly stated that efforts to write off FELDA settlers' annual RM1 billion debts via sukuk began in 2021 and were not a new initiative, as reported by Malay Mail.⛓
10. 25 June 2026Named by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the Perikatan Nasional candidate for Sedili (N36) in the 16th Johor state election, to be held on 11 July 2026.⛓

Election history

• 2026Sedili (N36), JohorPending⛓
• 2018Sedili (N36), JohorWon⛓
• 2013Sedili (N36), JohorWon⛓
• 2008Sedili (N36), JohorWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• OppositionRasman, as the PN/Bersatu candidate for Sedili in 2026, is contesting a seat where the BN incumbent Muszaide Makmor won in 2022 with a majority of 5,679 votes. The Star reported that Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin stated all candidates were vetted and were not bankrupt, nor had police cases or unpaid taxes.⛓
• VerifiedFactsThe Muar Magistrate's Court discharged and acquitted Rasman on 3 January 2023, with the magistrate finding that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case. This is a finalised court outcome confirmed by both Malay Mail and The Star.⛓
• GovernmentJohor Menteri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian (2018) confirmed Rasman's entry into Bersatu in November 2018, noting it strengthened the Pakatan Harapan state government's numbers in the Johor assembly.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Rasman served as a member of the board of directors of the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), as reported by Wikipedia and confirmed through his own public statements on FELDA policy (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasman_Ithnain; malaymail.com, July 13, 2023). No other business interests have been reported by allowlisted sources.

Notable legal history

In June 2022, Rasman Ithnain was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code with outraging the modesty of a woman in a vehicle in Muar on 13 January 2022; he pleaded not guilty (Source: malaymail.com, June 12, 2022; thestar.com.my, June 12, 2022). On 3 January 2023, the Muar Magistrate's Court discharged and acquitted Rasman after Magistrate Analia Kamarudin found that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused at the close of the prosecution's case (Source: malaymail.com, January 3, 2023; thestar.com.my, January 3, 2023). All charges were dropped and his bail money was returned.