Young Syefura Othman

Summary

Young Syefura Othman (born 9 November 1989), also known as Rara, is the DAP Member of Parliament for Bentong, Pahang, having won the seat in November 2022 with a majority of 692 votes — becoming DAP's first female Malay MP. A former nurse and political activist who joined DAP in 2014, she previously served as the Ketari state assemblyperson from 2018 to 2022, and currently holds positions as DAP's Vice Women Chief and Assistant National Publicity Secretary, as well as serving on the Health Parliamentary Special Select Committee.

Biography

Young Syefura Othman (born 9 November 1989), widely known by her nickname Rara, is a Malaysian politician and former nurse who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bentong, Pahang, since November 2022 [1]. She is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition [1]. Born in Lumut, Perak, as the sixth of seven children, she chose to become a nurse after completing secondary school before transitioning to political activism [2]. She joined DAP in 2014, a decision that surprised her family whose members were supporters of UMNO, PKR, PAS, or Amanah [2]. She was first appointed councillor of Kajang in 2016, and in GE14 (2018) she won the Ketari state seat in Pahang, serving as Member of the State Legislative Assembly until 2022 [2]. In GE15 (November 2022), DAP fielded her for the Bentong parliamentary seat, with the stated aim of making her the party's first female Malay MP [3]. She won the seat with a majority of 692 votes, defeating four male challengers including former MCA president Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai [3][4]. Within DAP, she has served as Vice Women Chief since September 2023 and was elected to the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) in March 2025 as Assistant National Publicity Secretary [1][5]. She is a member of the Health Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) [6].

Known for

Young Syefura is notable as one of the few Malay Muslim women elected to Parliament under a DAP ticket, and is widely regarded as a symbol of DAP's efforts to broaden its Malay representation [2]. She has consistently raised public healthcare reform issues in the Dewan Rakyat, including staff shortages, waiting times, and health financing, drawing on her background as a former nurse [6]. Her 2022 GE15 win over veteran politician Liow Tiong Lai in a constituency with a Malay-majority electorate was a closely watched electoral result [7].

Political positions

On healthcare, Young Syefura has been a consistent voice for public health reform. She has called on the Ministry of Health to urgently address critical staff shortages, noting that Bentong Hospital itself suffers from shortages of doctors and healthcare workers [6]. She has called for public health spending to be raised to 5% of GDP and has supported reviewing existing health laws rather than creating new commissions, citing cost concerns [6]. She sits on the Health Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) and has engaged on issues including pandemic procurement accountability, digital health (MySejahtera), and rising health insurance premiums [6]. On environmental safety, she urged the Pahang state government to review all hillside development projects following the 2022 Batang Kali landslide [8]. On DAP's identity, she has publicly stated that she is living proof that DAP is not anti-Islam or anti-Malay, noting that as a Malay Muslim who wears a hijab, she has continued to practise her faith throughout her decade in the party [5]. She has also stated her intent to tackle children's issues including child marriage, the right to education regardless of citizenship status, and stateless children born in Malaysia [2]. On the Genting Highlands toll, she called for residents of the area to be exempted from the private road charge [9].

Education

1. Post-secondary school (pre-2014)Young Syefura chose to become a nurse after completing secondary school, working briefly as a nurse before transitioning to political activism.⛓

Before politics

1. 2014Joined DAP in 2014. Her joining went viral after a photograph with Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng was shared online, drawing national attention.⛓
2. 2016Appointed councillor of Kajang Municipal Council, her first official role within the DAP party structure.⛓

Political career

1. May 2018Won the Ketari state seat in Pahang in GE14, defeating BN's Datuk Lau Hoi Keong and PAS' Roslan Md Esa with a majority of 3,710 votes, becoming DAP's youngest elected representative at the time.⛓
2. November 2022Won the Bentong parliamentary seat (P089) in GE15 under Pakatan Harapan, with a majority of 692 votes over former MCA president Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai (BN), PN's Datuk Roslan Hassan, then-incumbent Wong Tack (Independent), and independent Mohd Khalil Abdul Hamid.⛓
3. September 2023Elected as Vice Women Chief of DAP.⛓
4. March 2025Elected to DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) for the 2025–2028 term at the 18th DAP Congress with 1,943 delegate votes, subsequently taking up the position of Assistant National Publicity Secretary.⛓

Election history

• 2022Bentong (P089)Won⛓
• 2018Ketari (Pahang State Assembly)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentDAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke stated that Young Syefura was selected for Bentong due to her five years of experience serving the Pahang constituency as Ketari assemblyperson, and that the party intended to make her DAP's first female Malay MP.⛓
• ExpertGender issues expert Dr Zaireeni Azmi told Bernama that many people on the ground doubted Young Syefura would win the Bentong seat in GE15, citing both her gender and the challenge posed by then-incumbent MP Wong Tack running as an independent.⛓
• OppositionAccording to CodeBlue, a commentary by Dr Mah Hang Soon argued that Young Syefura's defence of the Rakan KKM scheme amounted to endorsing what the author termed 'silent privatisation' of public hospitals, which critics said risks diverting doctors' time away from ordinary patients.⛓
• VerifiedFactsYoung Syefura won the Bentong parliamentary seat (P089) in GE15 on 19 November 2022 with a majority of 692 votes under the Pakatan Harapan banner. She is a member of the Health Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) and holds the positions of DAP Vice Women Chief (since September 2023) and Assistant National Publicity Secretary (since March 2025).⛓