Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff

Summary

Siti Zailah binti Mohd Yusoff (born 12 October 1963) is a PAS politician who has represented the Rantau Panjang federal constituency in Kelantan continuously since 2008 and leads PAS Muslimat, the party's women's wing. She served as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development under both the Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional-led administrations from 2020 to 2022, before returning to the opposition bench following GE15. Her public record includes parliamentary and media statements on Islamic governance, women's dress codes, and child marriage under syariah, which have generated both domestic and civil society responses.

Biography

Dato' Hajah Siti Zailah binti Mohd Yusoff (born 12 October 1963, Kelantan) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rantau Panjang since March 2008 [1]. She is a member and Women Chief of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a component party of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and formerly of Gagasan Sejahtera and Pakatan Rakyat coalitions [1]. Prior to her first election to the Dewan Rakyat, she served as an appointed Senator for Kelantan [1]. She was first elected to Parliament in the 2008 general election and retained the Rantau Panjang seat in the 2013 and 2018 general elections [2]. In GE15 (November 2022), she won the Rantau Panjang seat under the PN banner with 37,759 votes [3]. Within PAS, she was elected as head of PAS Muslimat, the party's women's wing, in 2011, and retained that post in the 2013 party elections [1]. She served as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development under the Perikatan Nasional administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin from March 2020 to August 2021, and continued in the same role under the Barisan Nasional-led administration of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from August 2021 until the collapse of that government in November 2022 [1]. Since GE15, she sits in the Dewan Rakyat as an opposition MP under the PN coalition. The constituency of Rantau Panjang, located in Pasir Mas District, Kelantan, had a population of approximately 116,948 as of 2020 [1].

Known for

Siti Zailah is one of PAS's most prominent women leaders, having led PAS Muslimat (the party's women's wing) from 2011 and serving twice as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development between 2020 and 2022 [1]. She has been a consistent Dewan Rakyat voice for Islamic governance principles, including on issues of religious dress codes and child marriage under Islamic law [4]. She has held the Rantau Panjang parliamentary seat continuously since 2008, making her one of PAS's longest-serving female MPs.

Political positions

Siti Zailah has consistently articulated positions grounded in Islamic jurisprudence across a range of social policy areas. In a July 2017 parliamentary debate, Malaysiakini reported that she endorsed child marriage under Islamic law, stating it was "the guidance of Allah" in response to criticism of the practice. During her tenure as Deputy Minister in March 2020, The Star reported that she raised the question of shariah-compliant uniforms for female flight attendants in Parliament at a time when the aviation sector was under acute pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing public criticism. In February 2022, the New Straits Times reported she was called on to resign over marital advice she conveyed in Instagram videos, with women's rights groups describing the content as promoting domestic violence. During the GE15 campaign in November 2022, Malay Mail reported that an election monitor, #KamiNampak, identified her as among candidates sharing content framing non-Muslims as political enemies. In February 2026, Malaysiakini reported that she challenged Housing Minister Nga Kor Ming in a parliamentary session, urging him to "embrace Islam" and questioning whether he was a believer.

Before politics

1. Before 2008Served as an appointed Senator for Kelantan prior to her first election to the Dewan Rakyat.⛓

Political career

1. March 2008First elected as Member of Parliament for Rantau Panjang in the 12th General Election (GE12), entering the Dewan Rakyat for the first time.⛓
2. 2011Elected as head of PAS Muslimat, the women's wing of PAS.⛓
3. May 2013Re-elected as MP for Rantau Panjang in GE13. Also retained the post of head of PAS Muslimat in the 2013 party elections.⛓
4. May 2018Re-elected as MP for Rantau Panjang in GE14, winning with a majority of 6,150 votes.⛓
5. March 2020Appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development under Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional administration.⛓
6. August 2021Reappointed as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's Barisan Nasional-led administration, continuing until November 2022.⛓
7. November 2022Re-elected as MP for Rantau Panjang in GE15 under the PN banner, receiving 37,759 votes. Returned to the opposition bench following PN's failure to form the federal government.⛓

Election history

• 2022Rantau PanjangWon⛓
• 2018Rantau PanjangWon⛓
• 2013Rantau PanjangWon⛓
• 2008Rantau PanjangWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• OppositionSiti Zailah represents PAS's position that Islamic governance principles should guide social and family policy, including on issues of dress codes, marriage law, and religious identity in public life.⛓
• GovernmentDuring the GE15 campaign, then-Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming stated legal action would be taken against her over the unauthorised use of a fire hydrant for constituency water supply, describing the act as irresponsible (Bernama, as reported by FMT, May 2023).⛓
• ExpertNGO Empower criticised her 2014 statements linking the MH17 tragedy to Malaysia Airlines' alcohol policy and dress codes as 'insensitive and irrelevant' (as reported by Wikipedia citing Empower's public statement).⛓
• AffectedSegambut MP Hannah Yeoh (Malaysiakini, March 2020) publicly expressed concern that Siti Zailah's appointment as deputy minister for women and families would undermine Malaysia's national road map to combat child marriage, citing her parliamentary record on the issue.⛓
• PublicElection monitor #KamiNampak (reported by Malay Mail, November 2022) identified Siti Zailah as among candidates sharing content during GE15 campaigning that framed non-Muslims as enemies and called on Muslims not to vote for non-Muslim leaders.⛓
• VerifiedFactsSiti Zailah has held the Rantau Panjang parliamentary seat continuously since 2008 across four general elections (GE12–GE15). She served as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development from March 2020 to November 2022. She is head of PAS Muslimat. The constituency had a population of approximately 116,948 as of 2020.⛓