Rushdan Rusmi

Summary

Rushdan Rusmi is the PAS/Perikatan Nasional Member of Parliament for Padang Besar (P001), Perlis, having won the seat in Malaysia's 15th General Election in November 2022 with a majority of 12,514 votes. A native of Chuping, Perlis, he represents Malaysia's northernmost federal constituency, which shares a land border with Thailand, and has used his parliamentary platform to raise questions on border security, affordable housing, food security, public transport policy, and prison reform. His profile in Parliament is that of an opposition backbencher who regularly scrutinises government policy across a broad range of portfolios.

Biography

Rushdan Rusmi is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Padang Besar (P001, Perlis) since November 2022 [1]. He is a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition [1]. According to Sinar Harian, he is a native of Kampung Tok Kayaman, Chuping, Perlis [2]. In the 15th General Election (GE15) held in November 2022, Rushdan contested under the PN banner for the Padang Besar parliamentary seat in a five-cornered fight that also included candidates from BN, Pakatan Harapan, Warisan, and a high-profile independent [3]. He won the seat with 24,267 votes and a majority of 12,514 votes, defeating the incumbent BN candidate and four other contenders [4]. The Padang Besar constituency borders Thailand and is Malaysia's northernmost parliamentary seat, making border security, trade and cross-border movement recurring issues in his parliamentary work [5]. Since taking office, Rushdan has raised parliamentary questions on a range of policy matters including affordable housing, cross-border immigration facilities, public transport financing, national food security, prison congestion, and police welfare programmes [6]. No information on his educational background or pre-political career was available from allowlisted sources at the time of publication.

Known for

Rushdan Rusmi is the PAS Member of Parliament for Padang Besar, Malaysia's northernmost federal constituency on the Thai border, which he won at the 2022 general election under the Perikatan Nasional banner with a majority of 12,514 votes [7]. In Parliament, he has been active on border-related issues, affordable housing, food security, and public transport policy, regularly tabling oral questions to ministers from the government benches [8]. He has also called on the government to strengthen the Padang Besar Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security Complex and to enhance the capacity of border enforcement agencies [9].

Political positions

Based on his parliamentary questions and public statements, Rushdan has raised concerns about: (1) border security and immigration infrastructure at entry points in Perlis, including calling for improvements to the Padang Besar ICQS complex and for greater powers for the Malaysian Checkpoints and Border Agency [5]; (2) affordable housing, specifically querying the government on the Rent-To-Own (RTO) scheme for B40 and M40 first-time homebuyers [10][11]; (3) public transport financing, questioning the government on a national policy framework for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models in transit projects, including fare ceilings and government liability limits [12][13]; (4) national food security, seeking clarification on government support for the transition to a perennial rice planting system [14][15]; (5) prison drug policy, asking the Home Ministry about measures to reduce prison congestion from drug-related offences and proposals on decriminalisation or community rehabilitation [12][16]; and (6) civil service welfare, including a question on establishing a Shariah-based stress prevention programme for police personnel [17]. His parliamentary record reflects positions consistent with PAS and PN policy priorities, including an emphasis on Islamic welfare frameworks and scrutiny of the Pakatan Harapan-led government's fiscal and infrastructure decisions.

Political career

1. November 2022Rushdan Rusmi contested and won the Padang Besar parliamentary seat (P001, Perlis) under the Perikatan Nasional banner representing PAS, in Malaysia's 15th General Election, with 24,267 votes and a majority of 12,514.⛓
2. November 2022Took his seat as Member of Parliament for Padang Besar, becoming the first PAS representative to hold the constituency.⛓

Election history

• 2022Padang Besar (P001)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsRushdan won the Padang Besar seat at GE15 with a 12,514-vote majority in a five-cornered contest, defeating BN, PH-Amanah, Warisan, and a high-profile independent candidate.⛓
• OppositionFormer Padang Besar MP Zahidi Zainul Abidin, who subsequently joined PKR, criticised PN's administration of Perlis as lacking progress, particularly in generating state revenue — an indirect commentary on the performance of PN's Perlis representatives including Rushdan.⛓
• GovernmentThe Home Ministry, responding to Rushdan's parliamentary question, said it is implementing a comprehensive approach covering enforcement and rehabilitation to address prison congestion from drug offences, including through the new Chenderiang Correctional Centre.⛓
• GovernmentThe Transport Ministry, responding to Rushdan's question on public transport PPP financing, stated that unlike toll highways, public transport fares cannot be freely increased and virtually all major transit infrastructure projects require government funding to bridge financial gaps.⛓