Tham Yun Fook · Politician profile · CERAP

Why this matters to you

As the Likas state assemblyman and a Warisan opposition representative in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, Tham Yun Fook directly represents residents in the Likas area of Kota Kinabalu on matters such as school infrastructure, healthcare access, and cost-of-living pressures including fuel costs. His advocacy on the diesel subsidy scheme is of immediate practical relevance to Sabahans who own, share, or depend on diesel vehicles for daily transport, particularly in rural and interior areas. His scrutiny of federal education policy — including teacher hiring, primary school enrolment reforms, and school building conditions — affects families with children in Sabah's public school system.

Summary

Tham Yun Fook is the Warisan assemblyman for Likas (N19), Sabah, elected for the first time in November 2025 after defeating Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe with a majority of 2,425 votes. A former senior Sabah Education Department official, he has brought an education-focused perspective to his role as a state opposition representative, while also advocating for Sabah's constitutional revenue rights, healthcare funding, and fuel subsidy exemptions. He sits in the opposition on the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) retaining the government after the 17th Sabah State Election.

Biography

Tham Yun Fook is the Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) assemblyman for the N19 Likas state constituency in Sabah, a seat he won for the first time in the 17th Sabah State Election held on 29 November 2025 [1]. Before entering politics, he served as a senior official in the Sabah Education Department; the New Straits Times identified him specifically as a former Sabah Education senior assistant director [2]. The Star also described him as a "former senior state educationist who plunged into politics last year" [3]. Tham was fielded by Warisan as a new face for the Likas seat, which had been a DAP stronghold since 2013 [3]. In the six-cornered contest, he defeated Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe — who had vacated his Luyang seat to contest Likas — polling 5,768 votes to Phoong's 3,343, a majority of 2,425 [1]. His victory was noted as one of the notable upsets of the election cycle, with analysts describing it as part of a broader voter shift in Sabah [1]. Since taking office, Tham has been active as a state opposition representative, raising issues spanning education infrastructure, healthcare funding, Sabah's constitutional revenue entitlements, fuel subsidies, and rural infrastructure [3]. He has consistently drawn on his background in education administration to scrutinise federal education policy as it applies to Sabah.

Known for

Tham Yun Fook is known primarily as a former senior Sabah Education Department official who transitioned to politics and unseated a prominent incumbent in Likas. He has positioned himself as a vocal advocate for Sabah's rights, regularly challenging federal policy on revenue entitlements, healthcare, education, and fuel subsidies. His education background informs frequent and detailed scrutiny of the Education Ministry's policies affecting Sabah's schools and students.

Political positions

On education, Tham has called for the Education Ministry to prioritise Sabah-born graduates in teacher recruitment, questioned the low uptake of the six-year-old Year 1 admission programme, and pressed for urgent infrastructure remedies at schools lacking permanent buildings. On healthcare, he urged the federal government to review proposed budget cuts, arguing Sabah already faces severe shortages of doctors and specialists. On Sabah's constitutional revenue entitlements, he demanded transparency in how the federal government calculates the RM1.5 billion interim allocation, contending that it falls short of Sabah's constitutional 40% claim. On fuel subsidies, he joined fellow Warisan assemblymen in submitting a memorandum seeking Sabah's exemption from the revised targeted diesel subsidy scheme, arguing the policy fails to account for the state's geographic and economic realities. He has also called for stronger anti-bullying enforcement in schools and highlighted the structural neglect of rural and interior infrastructure following the Tenom-Pangi runaway train incident.

References

Before politics

Before 2025Tham Yun Fook served as a senior official in the Sabah Education Department, identified by the New Straits Times as a former Sabah Education senior assistant director.⛓
Before 2025The Star described Tham as a "former senior state educationist" prior to his entry into politics.⛓

Political career

November 2025Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal announced Tham Yun Fook as the party's candidate for the N19 Likas seat in the 17th Sabah State Election.⛓
29 November 2025Tham Yun Fook won the Likas seat for Warisan in the 17th Sabah State Election, polling 5,768 votes (majority: 2,425) to defeat Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe in a six-cornered contest.⛓
February 2026As Likas assemblyman, Tham called on the Education Ministry to prioritise Sabah-born graduates in the national recruitment of 20,000 new teachers, and urged that Sabah officials be placed on the Teacher Recruitment Selection Panel.⛓
March 2026Following the Tenom-Pangi runaway train incident, Tham called for urgent safety reviews and highlighted what he described as structural neglect of rural and interior infrastructure in Sabah.⛓
April 2026Tham highlighted conditions at SK Balaban Jaya in Beluran, where pupils were studying in wall-less tents and mosque corridors, drawing a direct government response from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.⛓
April 2026Tham urged the federal government to review proposed budget cuts to healthcare and education, citing Sabah's existing shortages of doctors, understaffed rural clinics, and students' reliance on public universities and scholarships.⛓
June 2026Tham demanded that the federal government disclose the formula behind Sabah's RM1.5 billion interim allocation, arguing the amount did not reflect the state's constitutional 40% net revenue entitlement.⛓
June 2026Tham called on the Education Ministry to ensure structured planning for the six-year-old Year 1 admission programme, noting that only 18.35% of the projected 400,000 applications were received.⛓
July 2026Tham joined fellow Warisan assemblymen in submitting a memorandum to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, seeking Sabah's exemption from the revised targeted diesel subsidy scheme.⛓

Election history

2025Likas (N19), Sabah State Legislative AssemblyWon56.3%⛓

Stance evolution

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

2026WARISAN
- Weakening healthcare and education support will only deepen inequality and restrict talent growth.
  Statement by Tham Yun Fook urging the federal government to review proposed budget cuts to healthcare and education affecting Sabah. · Source
- The policy, in its current form, risks causing unnecessary hardship for genuine users while having little impact on those engaged in illegal activities.
  Statement by Tham on the federal government's targeted diesel subsidy policy restricting subsidised diesel to registered vehicle owners. · Source
- Transparency is needed so Sabahans can judge whether the interim allocation truly reflects fairness and the federal government's commitment to honouring the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
  Statement by Tham calling on the federal government to disclose how Sabah's RM1.5 billion interim allocation was calculated in relation to the state's constitutional 40% revenue entitlement. · Source
- We cannot allow our children to continue learning in such conditions.
  Statement by Tham after visiting SK Balaban Jaya in Beluran, where pupils were studying under tents and in mosque corridors. · Source
- I also firmly urge the Education Ministry to appoint senior officers from the Sabah Education Department and the Sabah Education, Science and Innovation Ministry as permanent members of the Teacher Recruitment Selection Panel at the ministry level.
  Statement by Tham calling for Sabah representation in national teacher recruitment processes, in response to the ministry's plan to hire 20,000 new teachers. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

ExpertA Universiti Malaysia Sabah academic, Syahruddin Awang Ahmad, described Tham's victory in Likas as part of a broader voter shift and "a rejection of the status quo", noting that party loyalty alone was no longer the primary factor in securing voter support.⛓
OppositionAn anonymous political analyst cited by FMT identified Tham Yun Fook as one of the more recognisable among Warisan's Chinese candidates ahead of the 2025 election, distinguishing him alongside Junz Wong from less-known names on the slate.⛓
GovernmentSabah PKR communications director Guntur Sangkar, responding to Tham's revenue entitlement claims, said the RM1.5 billion allocation reflected the Madani government's commitment to Sabah, and accused Warisan of hypocrisy given the party's own record when in government from 2018 to 2020.⛓
VerifiedFactsTham Yun Fook won the Likas seat (N19) on 29 November 2025 with 5,768 votes and a majority of 2,425, confirmed by both FMT's official results page and BERNAMA. He is a first-term assemblyman and sits in the opposition in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.⛓

Sources

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