Tan Kar Hing

Summary

Tan Kar Hing (born 4 May 1982) is the PKR Member of Parliament for Gopeng, Perak, elected in the November 2022 general election (GE15) with a majority of 27,148 votes. He previously served two terms as Simpang Pulai state assemblyman (2013–2022) and was a member of the Perak State EXCO under the 2018–2020 PH state administration, holding the Tourism, Arts and Culture portfolio. At the federal level, he has engaged on issues including agricultural trade oversight, freedom of expression, local governance reform, and constituency development in the Kinta limestone belt area of Perak.

Biography

Tan Kar Hing (born 4 May 1982, Rawang, Selangor) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gopeng (P071), Perak, under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner and People's Justice Party (PKR) since November 2022 [1]. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of Perak PKR [2][3]. Prior to his federal role, he represented the Simpang Pulai state seat in the Perak State Legislative Assembly from May 2013 to November 2022, across two successive terms [1]. During the PH state administration under Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu from May 2018 until the collapse of that administration in March 2020, Tan served as a member of the Perak State Executive Council (EXCO), holding the portfolio of Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman [4]. Before winning the Gopeng parliamentary seat in GE15, he served as PKR Perak's Election Director [3]. He is a board member of Cradle Fund, a government-linked startup funding agency [5]. As Gopeng MP, Tan has been active on issues including cave and limestone heritage safety policy in Kinta District, agricultural trade oversight, workers' rights in foreign labour recruitment, and civil liberties matters such as the ban on leftist books [6]. He is also the Perak PKR Deputy Chairman as of 2026 [2].

Known for

Tan Kar Hing is known as a PKR stalwart in Perak who built his base at the state assembly level before moving to federal parliament. He served as Perak's Tourism, Arts and Culture EXCO chairman during the 2018–2020 PH state administration, before winning the Gopeng parliamentary seat in GE15 with a majority of 27,148 votes. At the federal level, he has raised issues spanning agricultural trade policy, freedom of expression, and local governance reform.

Political positions

Tan has advocated for merit-based assessment in local governance, arguing against racial framing in debates over mayoral elections and stating that voters assess candidates based on leadership qualities and policies rather than race or religion alone [7]. On trade policy, he called for parliamentary scrutiny of the Malaysia-United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), warning that Malaysia may lack the capacity to enforce food safety, halal oversight, and animal disease surveillance under the pact's demands [8]. On freedom of expression, he questioned the government's ban on leftist books, drawing a parallel with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's lecturing career at major universities and noting that removing books is largely futile in the smartphone era [7]. He has also advocated for accountability in military institutions, urging action following the Ipoh High Court's 2024 ruling that a navy cadet's 2018 death was due to homicide [7]. On party matters, he has publicly affirmed loyalty to PKR and denied allegations of withdrawing support for the Prime Minister [3].

Political career

1. May 2013First elected as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly for Simpang Pulai under PKR, winning with a majority of 11,083 votes in GE13.⛓
2. May 2018Re-elected as Simpang Pulai state assemblyman in GE14 under Pakatan Harapan, and appointed as a member of the Perak State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu. He served as Perak Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman.⛓
3. March 2020Perak PH state administration collapsed following the Sheraton Move political crisis; Tan's EXCO appointment ended.⛓
4. November 2022Elected as Member of Parliament for Gopeng (P071) in GE15 under PKR/Pakatan Harapan, with 38.9% of the vote (55,880 votes) and a majority of 27,148. His service as Simpang Pulai state assemblyman also ended.⛓
5. February 2024Reported as PKR Perak State Election Department Director and Gopeng MP; confirmed no changes to Perak PKR state leadership lineup following a national party reshuffle.⛓
6. May 2026Attended PKR Perak state leadership press conference as Perak PKR Deputy Chairman and Gopeng MP.⛓

Election history

• 2022Gopeng (P071)Won38.9%⛓
• 2018Simpang Pulai (Perak State)Won⛓
• 2013Simpang Pulai (Perak State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentAs a PKR MP within the Pakatan Harapan unity government, Tan has publicly affirmed support for PM Anwar Ibrahim and denied allegations of withdrawing that support, describing such claims as politically motivated falsehoods.⛓
• VerifiedFactsTan won the Gopeng parliamentary seat in GE15 (November 2022) with 55,880 votes (38.9% vote share) and a majority of 27,148 votes over four other candidates, as confirmed by The Star's official GE15 results.⛓
• ExpertTan called for parliamentary special select committee scrutiny of the Malaysia-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement on agriculture, warning that Malaysia's food safety enforcement, halal oversight, and disease surveillance capacity may be insufficient for the pact's requirements — a position reported in depth by CodeBlue.⛓
• PublicTan advocated for merit-based, race-neutral criteria in mayoral election debates, arguing that voters assess candidates on leadership qualities and policies, not race or religion alone, amid national debate on KL mayoral polls.⛓
• AffectedTan spoke at a press conference alongside MPs and NGOs urging action following the Ipoh High Court's 2024 ruling that a navy cadet's 2018 death was due to homicide, representing community calls for institutional accountability.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Tan Kar Hing is a board member of Cradle Fund, a government-linked agency that provides grants to Malaysian startups, as reported by Bernama when he officiated a Braille-based games distribution event in that capacity (Source: bernama.com).