Shahelmey Yahya

Summary

Datuk Ir. Shahelmey bin Yahya is the UMNO-suspended MP for Putatan, Sabah, currently serving his first parliamentary term after winning the seat in GE15 with a majority of 124 votes. He rose to prominence after defying a Sabah UMNO directive in January 2023 to back Chief Minister Hajiji Noor's government, earning the role of Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and Works Minister at the cost of a six-year UMNO membership suspension. An engineer by training and a former Pan Borneo Highway project delivery partner, he remains Putatan MP under the BN banner while his suspension runs until 2029.

Biography

Datuk Ir. Shahelmey bin Yahya (born 20 February 1973 in Putatan, Sabah) is a Malaysian engineer-turned-politician who serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Putatan since November 2022 and previously as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Tanjung Keramat from September 2020 [1]. He holds a degree in engineering and a Master of Business Administration, having studied at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the University of Bristol [2]. Prior to entering elected politics, he served as the Managing Director of the Pan Borneo Highway project delivery partner (PDP) in Sabah, giving him direct infrastructure management experience before becoming a legislator [3]. He was elected to the Tanjung Keramat state seat in 2020 on a Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket, winning with a majority of 1,124 votes [4]. In the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022, he won the Putatan parliamentary seat for BN with a narrow majority of 124 votes in a four-cornered contest [5]. In January 2023, he was elevated to Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and State Minister of Works after he and four other Sabah UMNO assemblymen declined to follow a party directive to withdraw support for Chief Minister Hajiji Noor [3]. This decision led to his six-year suspension from UMNO in March 2023, effective until 2029, as confirmed by Sabah UMNO chief Bung Moktar Radin [6]. Despite his suspension, he retained the Putatan parliamentary seat under the BN banner, citing the federal anti-hopping law as the reason for not formally leaving UMNO [4]. He opted not to contest the November 2025 Sabah state election in order to preserve his Putatan MP seat [4].

Known for

Shahelmey is defined by his 2023 decision to back Chief Minister Hajiji Noor against a Sabah UMNO directive, a move that saved the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government but resulted in his six-year suspension from UMNO [6][3]. He holds a dual role as both a federal MP and, until late 2025, a state assemblyman and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III overseeing Works — an engineering portfolio closely aligned with his professional background as a former Pan Borneo Highway project delivery partner [3][2]. He is closely identified with the delivery of Pan Borneo Highway Phase 1B in Sabah and has repeatedly called on the federal government to honour its infrastructure commitments to the state [3].

Political positions

Shahelmey has consistently prioritised infrastructure development in Sabah, particularly the Pan Borneo Highway, as central to the state's economic development. As Sabah Works Minister, he repeatedly pressed the federal government for timely completion of highway phases and emphasised lessons learned from Phase 1A delays to improve Phase 1B execution, focusing on land acquisition, utility relocation and technical oversight [3]. He has advocated for political stability in Sabah as a prerequisite for the state's development agenda, including the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) roadmap, framing his 2023 decision to back Hajiji's government in those terms [5]. On local economic matters, he has promoted community-based recreational activities as a means of boosting local incomes in the Putatan constituency [3]. He has also addressed infrastructure service delivery issues such as water distribution and electricity supply, overseeing initiatives including energy ships for Sandakan and Lahad Datu and static water tanks to address water theft and supply disruptions in Putatan [3][6]. On his UMNO status, he has consistently chosen to remain a suspended UMNO member rather than formally resign, in order to preserve his parliamentary seat under Malaysia's anti-hopping law [4][3].

Education

1. Pre-2000sStudied at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), obtaining an engineering qualification; subsequently attended the University of Bristol and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA).⛓

Before politics

1. Pre-2020Served as Managing Director of the Pan Borneo Highway project delivery partner (PDP) in Sabah, overseeing the mega infrastructure project before entering elected politics.⛓

Political career

1. September 2020Elected as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the newly created Tanjung Keramat seat on a Barisan Nasional ticket, winning with a majority of 1,124 votes.⛓
2. October 2020Appointed State Minister of Community Development and People's Wellbeing in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) administration under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.⛓
3. November 2022Won the Putatan parliamentary seat in GE15 on a Barisan Nasional ticket with 16,234 votes, defeating Pakatan Harapan's Awang Husaini Sahari (16,110 votes) by a majority of 124 votes in a four-cornered contest.⛓
4. January 2023Declined to follow a Sabah UMNO directive to withdraw support for Chief Minister Hajiji Noor; alongside four other UMNO assemblymen and Pakatan Harapan members, he helped Hajiji retain power. Was subsequently appointed Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and State Minister of Works, replacing Bung Moktar Radin.⛓
5. March 2023UMNO membership suspended for six years (until 2029) by the UMNO disciplinary board for refusing to support the party's attempt to unseat Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, as confirmed by Sabah UMNO chief Bung Moktar Radin.⛓
6. November 2025Decided not to contest the November 2025 Sabah state election in order to retain his Putatan parliamentary seat, citing the federal anti-hopping law. His brother, Shah Alfie Yahya, contested and won the Tanjung Keramat seat under the GRS ticket.⛓

Election history

• 2022Putatan (P173)Won39.4%⛓
• 2020Tanjung Keramat (Sabah State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentSabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor indicated confidence in Shahelmey, stating ahead of the 2025 state election that he would 'join us' (GRS), and described him as likely to win given his dual state and parliamentary roles in the Putatan constituency.⛓
• OppositionSabah UMNO chief Bung Moktar Radin confirmed the six-year suspension and described Shahelmey as someone who went against the party, stating he was free to contest under a different party but must pay UMNO RM100 million for breaching a bond if he did so.⛓
• VerifiedFactsShahelmey's UMNO membership was suspended for six years in March 2023, confirmed by Sabah UMNO chief Bung Moktar Radin and subsequently acknowledged by UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as handled internally. He retained his Putatan MP seat under the BN parliamentary group despite the suspension.⛓