Siti Aminah Aching

Summary

Datuk Hajah Siti Aminah binti Aching (born 25 March 1962) is the UMNO/BN Member of Parliament for Beaufort (P177), Sabah, elected in November 2022. She served as Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities from December 2022 to December 2023, during which she was notably the first Bisaya politician to hold a deputy ministerial post in Malaysian history. Since the December 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, she continues as a backbench MP and remains Wanita UMNO chief for the Beaufort division.

Biography

Datuk Hajah Siti Aminah binti Aching (born 25 March 1962) is the Member of Parliament for Beaufort (P177), Sabah, representing Barisan Nasional (BN) under the UMNO banner [1]. She has held the seat since November 2022 following her victory in the 15th General Election (GE15), where she secured 10,570 votes and a majority of 2,518 in a six-cornered contest [2]. She is a member of the Bisaya community and has been identified as the first Bisaya politician to serve as a deputy minister in Malaysian history [1]. Within UMNO, she holds the position of Division Women Chief (Ketua Wanita) for the Beaufort division of Sabah UMNO, a branch of the Barisan Nasional coalition [1]. Following GE15, she was appointed Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities in the Unity Government under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, serving from December 2022 to December 2023 under the ministerial oversight of Fadillah Yusof [3]. In that role, she was responsible for policy areas covering palm oil, rubber, timber, cocoa, and tobacco — sectors in which Sabah plays a direct production role [4]. She was not reappointed in the December 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, becoming the sole UMNO figure dropped from the lineup at that time [5]. Since the reshuffle, she has remained an active backbench MP, raising parliamentary questions on issues including the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and Malaysian commodity export policy [6], as well as the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) [5]. Prior to GE15, she served as Deputy Division Chief (Timbalan Ketua Bahagian) of UMNO Beaufort [7].

Known for

Siti Aminah Aching is defined politically by her role as the first Bisaya deputy minister in Malaysian history and her work on commodity sector policy — particularly palm oil, cocoa, and the EU Deforestation Regulation — during her tenure as Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities from December 2022 to December 2023 [8]. She recaptured the Beaufort parliamentary seat for BN in GE15 after the constituency's previous UMNO MP had defected to Bersatu following GE14, restoring the seat to the BN column in a six-way contest [9]. As Wanita UMNO chief for Beaufort division, she is the leading female figure of UMNO's Beaufort grassroots organisation in Sabah [10].

Political positions

During her tenure as Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Siti Aminah advocated strongly for the protection of Malaysian palm oil smallholders against the impact of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), supporting a joint Malaysia-Indonesia diplomatic approach to the EU including a joint mission to Brussels in May 2023 [6]. She expressed support for Malaysia's commitment to producing palm oil in accordance with the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, and backed the establishment of a Malaysia-Indonesia EUDR ad hoc joint task force to promote mutual understanding with the EU [6]. She also supported an audit of the Plantation and Commodities Ministry's expenditure on an oil palm publication following a parliamentary question from the opposition, stating the ministry would take appropriate action [5]. On education policy, Siti Aminah raised a parliamentary question in 2026 regarding the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), prompting a government response from the Minister of National Unity [5]. Prior to GE15, she publicly opposed any handover of Beaufort's parliamentary seat to Bersatu, asserting that UMNO would not compromise on seats it had won in GE14 [7].

Political career

1. Before GE15 (pre-November 2022)Served as Deputy Division Chief (Timbalan Ketua Bahagian) of UMNO Beaufort and Wanita UMNO chief for the Beaufort division prior to GE15.⛓
2. August 2022As Timbalan Ketua UMNO Bahagian Beaufort, publicly stated that UMNO would not relinquish the Beaufort parliamentary seat to Bersatu ahead of GE15, asserting that the seat had been won under an UMNO ticket in GE14.⛓
3. November 2022Won the Beaufort (P177) parliamentary seat in GE15 under the BN-UMNO ticket with 10,570 votes and a majority of 2,518 in a six-cornered contest, becoming Member of Parliament for Beaufort.⛓
4. December 2022Appointed Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities in the Unity Government under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with Minister Fadillah Yusof. Became the first Bisaya politician to serve as a deputy minister in Malaysian history.⛓
5. May–December 2023Led and participated in Malaysia-Indonesia joint diplomatic mission to Brussels in May 2023 to advocate for palm oil smallholders against the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR); helped establish a Malaysia-Indonesia EUDR ad hoc joint task force at a meeting in Jakarta on 4 August 2023.⛓
6. December 2023Dropped from the Cabinet in a government reshuffle, described by Free Malaysia Today as the sole UMNO figure removed from the lineup at that time. Her post as Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities was taken over by Chan Foong Hin.⛓
7. February 2026Raised a parliamentary written question on the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), prompting a response from the Minister of National Unity that recognition of the UEC could undermine national harmony.⛓
8. November 2025Active in the 17th Sabah State Election campaign, supporting BN candidates for the Klias and Kuala Penyu state seats within the Beaufort parliamentary area, as noted by UMNO vice president Johari Ghani.⛓

Election history

• 2022Beaufort (P177)Won24.4%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentAs Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities (December 2022 – December 2023), Siti Aminah represented the Unity Government's position that Malaysia is committed to sustainable palm oil under MSPO, while jointly opposing what it characterised as unilateral EU trade measures through the EUDR that disadvantage smallholder farmers in Sabah and Malaysia at large.⛓
• VerifiedFactsSiti Aminah Aching won the Beaufort parliamentary seat in GE15 (November 2022) with 10,570 votes and a majority of 2,518 votes in a six-cornered contest; her vote share was 24.4% of total votes cast. She was removed from Cabinet in December 2023 and remains a sitting BN MP as of June 2026 per parlimen.gov.my.⛓
• OppositionFree Malaysia Today reported that Siti Aminah was the sole UMNO figure dropped in the December 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, a development that intensified social media claims that Sabah UMNO had been sidelined — claims that were publicly denied by senior UMNO leaders including Bung Moktar.⛓
• IndustryDuring her tenure, Siti Aminah publicly welcomed a parliamentary call for an audit of Plantation and Commodities Ministry spending on an oil palm publication, stating the ministry would take appropriate action — a stance noted by industry observers as responsive to accountability concerns.⛓