TopicsPolitician AnalysisWan Romani Wan Salim

Wan Romani Wan Salim

Party
PAS · Malaysian Islamic Party
Coalition
PN
Constituency
Bukit Pinang
State
Kedah
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Why this matters to you

As the ADUN for Bukit Pinang, a constituency of over 41,000 residents in the Pokok Sena parliamentary area, Wan Romani is the primary representative for local concerns at the Kedah State Legislative Assembly (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Pinang_(state_constituency)). His previous role as EXCO for Information, Communications and Multimedia made him the state official directly responsible for decisions affecting internet access, mobile coverage, and consumer trade enforcement for all Kedah residents — including those in rural estates and remote villages where connectivity problems have persisted (Source: sinarharian.com.my; utusan.com.my). Kedahans who experienced poor broadband, inadequate mobile signal, or consumer affairs issues between 2020 and 2023 would have had those matters fall within his state committee's remit.

Summary

Wan Romani bin Wan Salim (born 1951) is a PAS politician who has held the Bukit Pinang state seat in Kedah since 2013 and was re-elected under Perikatan Nasional at the 2023 state election with 62.6% of the vote. He served as Kedah EXCO for Information, Communications and Multimedia from May 2020 to August 2023, overseeing telecommunications infrastructure expansion including 5G rollout and rural broadband upgrades. He is also a senior PAS figure, serving as Yang Dipertua of PAS Kawasan Pokok Sena in northern Kedah.

Biography

Wan Romani bin Wan Salim (born 1951, Pokok Sena, Kedah) is a Malaysian politician and member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) who has held the Bukit Pinang state seat in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly continuously since May 2013 [1]. He is a PAS member and has stood under successive coalition banners — Pakatan Rakyat (2013), Gagasan Sejahtera (2018), and Perikatan Nasional (2023) [1]. From May 2020 to August 2023, he served as a member of the Kedah State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, holding the portfolio of Information, Communications and Multimedia, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs [2]. In this role, he chaired the state committee overseeing telecommunications infrastructure, including the construction of new towers, rural broadband upgrades under the JENDELA national plan, and the acceleration of 5G network deployment at Kulim Hi-Tech Park [3]. He also serves as Yang Dipertua (area chief) of PAS Kawasan Pokok Sena, reflecting seniority within his party's northern Kedah organisation [4][5]. He was re-elected at the August 2023 Kedah state election under PN, securing 62.6% of votes cast at Bukit Pinang [6]. He holds the title Datuk, as noted in multiple reports from 2022–2023 [7].

Known for

Wan Romani is primarily associated with his tenure as Kedah state EXCO for Information, Communications and Multimedia (2020–2023), during which he oversaw efforts to expand digital connectivity and reduce the rural telecommunications gap across Kedah. He is also a durable PAS representative, having retained the Bukit Pinang seat across three consecutive elections since 2013 under three different coalition configurations.

Political positions

Based on his public record as EXCO for Information, Communications and Multimedia, Wan Romani consistently advocated for expanding telecommunications infrastructure in underserved rural areas. He pushed to accelerate 5G deployment at Kulim Hi-Tech Park ahead of the national schedule, citing the park's RM125 billion in approved investment as justification [8][9]. He identified 270 villages in Kedah lacking adequate internet or telephone coverage and called on telcos to commit to upgrades, and also sought approval for 200 new telecommunications towers in districts including Padang Terap, Baling, and Sik [4][10]. As a PAS member within the PN coalition, his public positions align with the party's governance priorities in PN-administered states. No sourced public statements on other major policy areas — such as healthcare, housing, or education — were found in the allowlist sources reviewed.

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]hmetro.com.my
  3. [3]nst.com.my; utusan.com.my
  4. [4]sinarharian.com.my
  5. [5]October 2022
  6. [6]election.thestar.com.my; freemalaysiatoday.com
  7. [7]sinarharian.com.my; pru.sinarharian.com.my
  8. [8]nst.com.my
  9. [9]December 2022
  10. [10]September 2020

Political career

  1. May 2013First elected as ADUN for Bukit Pinang, Kedah, under PAS (Pakatan Rakyat coalition).⛓
  2. May 2018Re-elected as ADUN for Bukit Pinang under PAS (Gagasan Sejahtera coalition) at the 14th Kedah state election.⛓
  3. July 2018PAS proposed Wan Romani as deputy speaker of the Kedah State Assembly after the 2018 election; the proposal was not adopted after the PH-led state government secured the speakership separately.⛓
  4. May 2020Sworn in as member of the Kedah State Executive Council (EXCO) under Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (PN), holding the portfolio of Information, Communications and Multimedia, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.⛓
  5. August 2023Re-elected as ADUN for Bukit Pinang (N10) under Perikatan Nasional (PAS) at the 2023 Kedah state election with 62.6% of votes cast. EXCO tenure concluded following formation of the new state government after the election.⛓

Election history

  • 2023Bukit PinangWon62.6%⛓
  • 2018Bukit PinangWon⛓
  • 2013Bukit PinangWon⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2022PAS
    • The rolling out of the 5G network in Kedah was supposed to begin in 2023 and scheduled to be completed by 2025.

      Wan Romani, as state Information, Communications and Multimedia Committee chairman, speaking on the expedited 5G rollout at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • GovernmentAs a senior PAS EXCO member in the PN-led Kedah state government (2020–2023), Wan Romani represented the administration's position that digital infrastructure expansion — including 5G and rural broadband — was a development priority for Kedah, with Kulim Hi-Tech Park's RM125 billion in approved investment cited as justification for expedited 5G deployment ahead of the national schedule.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsWan Romani has held the Bukit Pinang ADUN seat since May 2013 across three consecutive elections, serving under Pakatan Rakyat (2013), Gagasan Sejahtera (2018), and Perikatan Nasional (2023) as a PAS member. He served as Kedah EXCO from May 2020 to August 2023. His 2023 vote share at Bukit Pinang was 62.6% (23,041 votes).⛓

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

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