TopicsPolitician AnalysisSarifuddin Hata

Sarifuddin Hata

Party
WARISAN · Sabah Heritage Party
Constituency
Merotai
State
Sabah
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Why this matters to you

As the elected assemblyman for Merotai — a constituency of over 26,000 registered voters located roughly 300 km from Kota Kinabalu in the Kalabakan area — Sarifuddin Hata directly represents the interests of residents on issues including access to secondary schools, clean water, road infrastructure, and employment for rural youth, challenges documented during his 2025 re-election campaign (Source: bernama.com). His scrutiny of mining licence governance and MACC investigations into alleged resource-sector corruption is directly relevant to Merotai-area constituents who depend on extractive industries and royalty revenues for community development (Source: thestar.com.my). As a WARISAN supreme council member and opposition assemblyman, his votes and debates in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly shape scrutiny of the state budget and resource allocation that affects public services for Sabahans (Source: bernama.com).

Summary

Sarifuddin bin Hata is a three-term WARISAN assemblyman for Merotai, Sabah, who previously served as State Assistant Minister of Finance under the 2018–2020 Warisan government. Since returning to opposition in 2020, he has been an active critic of the GRS state administration on natural resource governance and anti-corruption accountability. He retained the Merotai seat in both the 2020 and 2025 Sabah state elections, increasing his majority to 4,016 votes in 2025.

Biography

Sarifuddin bin Hata is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Merotai, a seat he has held since May 2018 [1]. He is a member of Parti Warisan (WARISAN) and serves as the Division Chief of Kalabakan within the party; he was previously a member of the United Malays National Organisation of Sabah (Sabah UMNO) [1]. Following Warisan's victory in the 2018 Sabah state election, Sarifuddin was appointed State Assistant Minister of Finance of Sabah under then-Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal, a post he held until the collapse of the Warisan state administration in September 2020 [1]. He retained the Merotai seat in the 2020 Sabah state election with a majority of 1,587 votes, and again in the 2025 Sabah state election with an expanded majority of 4,016 votes [2]. In the Warisan 2021–2024 leadership line-up, he was elected as a supreme council member (Ahli Majlis Tertinggi) of the party [3]. As an opposition assemblyman, Sarifuddin has been active in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, raising questions on mineral resource governance, mining licence compliance, and anti-corruption measures [4]. He has disclosed that he was a recipient of a Yayasan Sabah scholarship [4]. Merotai is one of three state seats within the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency, located approximately 300 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu [3].

Known for

Sarifuddin Hata is known as a three-term Merotai assemblyman who served as State Assistant Minister of Finance of Sabah under the 2018–2020 Warisan government [1]. In opposition since 2020, he has been a vocal critic of alleged governance failings by the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, particularly on mineral resource management and anti-corruption accountability [4]. He holds the position of Warisan's Division Chief of Kalabakan and is a member of the party's supreme council [3].

Political positions

Sarifuddin Hata has consistently advocated for greater transparency in Sabah's management of natural resources. He raised questions in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly about the legal status of gold mining operations in Tawau, subsequently lodging a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) urging an investigation into alleged wrongdoing by a mining company [4]. During the Sabah Budget 2025 debate, he called on the state government to disclose details of companies involved in mining licences amid allegations of a bribery scandal implicating GRS leaders, stating that Sabahans must not repeat past mistakes of receiving only minimal royalties from resource extraction [4]. He has also urged the MACC to conduct transparent investigations into allegations of large-scale corruption involving elected representatives [4]. On food safety, he has participated in Sabah DUN proceedings regarding halal standards for imported goods [5].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]freemalaysiatoday.com
  3. [3]bernama.com
  4. [4]thestar.com.my
  5. [5]hmetro.com.my

Education

  1. Pre-2018Sarifuddin Hata was a recipient of a Yayasan Sabah scholarship, as disclosed by him in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.⛓

Before politics

  1. Pre-2018Sarifuddin Hata was a member of the United Malays National Organisation of Sabah (Sabah UMNO) before joining Parti Warisan.⛓

Political career

  1. May 2018Sarifuddin Hata won the Merotai state seat for Parti Warisan Sabah in the 14th Malaysian General Election (2018 Sabah state election), defeating BN-LDP's Lim Ting Khai with 7,707 votes (37.4% vote share) and a majority of 2,150.⛓
  2. May 2018Appointed State Assistant Minister of Finance of Sabah in the Warisan state government under Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.⛓
  3. September 2020The Warisan state administration collapsed. Sarifuddin's role as State Assistant Minister of Finance ended and he returned to the backbenches as an opposition assemblyman.⛓
  4. September 2020Retained the Merotai seat in the 2020 Sabah state election under the Warisan Plus banner with a majority of 1,587 votes (27.1%, 4,058 votes).⛓
  5. 2021Elected as a member of Warisan's supreme council (Ahli Majlis Tertinggi) in the party's 2021–2024 leadership line-up.⛓
  6. November 2023Raised questions at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly about the legal status of gold mining operations in Tawau (Bukit Mantri), triggering a public debate on mining licence compliance.⛓
  7. December 2023Lodged a report with the MACC urging an investigation into alleged wrongdoing by the Tawau gold mining company after the Jabatan Mineral dan Geosains (JMG) had not renewed the company's licence.⛓
  8. November 2024During the Sabah Budget 2025 debate at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, called on Chief Minister Hajiji Noor to disclose details of companies implicated in an alleged mining licence bribery scandal.⛓
  9. 29 November 2025Won the Merotai seat for the third consecutive time in the 17th Sabah State Election, securing 8,855 votes with a majority of 4,016 votes over PH-PKR's Datuk Ruji Ubi (4,839 votes).⛓

Election history

  • 2025Merotai (N72)Won⛓
  • 2020Merotai (N72)Won27.1%⛓
  • 2018Merotai (N72)Won37.4%⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2024WARISAN
    • Tell us if there is really no misconduct in this case and tell us who are the companies involved in mining, which are the districts and how many are involved.

      Sarifuddin Hata speaking during the Sabah Budget 2025 debate at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, urging the Chief Minister to be transparent about an alleged mining licence bribery scandal. · Source

    • Is it enough to have a permit from the Sabah Land and Surveys Department to mine and sell the gold bars just like that?

      Sarifuddin Hata questioning the legal basis for gold mining operations in Tawau following a Customs seizure of approximately 110kg of gold bars at Tawau airport. · Source

    • I too was a recipient of this, I was a Yayasan Sabah scholarship recipient.

      Sarifuddin Hata speaking during the Sabah Budget 2025 debate, disclosing his personal background while discussing Sabah's dependence on natural resource revenues. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsSarifuddin Hata has won the Merotai state seat in three consecutive elections — 2018, 2020, and 2025 — each time under the WARISAN banner. His vote share grew from 37.4% in 2018 to a 4,016-vote majority in 2025.⛓
  • OppositionAs an opposition assemblyman, Sarifuddin Hata has consistently pressed the GRS state government on transparency in mining licence approvals and has urged the MACC to conduct swift and transparent investigations into corruption allegations involving elected representatives.⛓
  • GovernmentThe Sabah government maintained that the Tawau gold mine was operating legally under Sabah mining law, responding to Sarifuddin's queries in the state assembly, though the government did not reference the federal JMG stop work order in its response.⛓
  • PublicGRS Wanita deputy chief Noraiza Mohammad Noor Mansoor, representing a section of public opinion, called for authorities to take firm action against Sarifuddin following a November 2024 incident at the Sabah Legislative Assembly building in which he was accused of punching a fellow assemblywoman's shoulder; Sarifuddin apologised and maintained it was unintentional.⛓

Sources

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