Yuneswaran Ramaraj

Summary

R. Yuneswaran Ramaraj is the PKR Member of Parliament for Segamat (P140), Johor, first elected in the 2022 general election with a 5,669-vote majority. He made history as the first person prosecuted under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 following the Blackout 505 rally in 2013, and has since become a government backbencher known for his positions on public health, electoral reform, and northern Johor development. In December 2025, he was appointed Deputy Minister of National Unity in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet reshuffle.

Biography

R. Yuneswaran Ramaraj (born 5 November 1986) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Segamat (P140), Johor, since November 2022 [1]. He is a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. Yuneswaran grew up in the Klang Valley and attended Sin Min Chinese School in Sungai Besar, Selangor, before completing secondary school at SMK Desa Cemerlang in Ulu Tiram, Johor [1]. He subsequently obtained an MBA through Anglia Ruskin University [1]. He joined PKR in 2008 and, in 2013, became the first person to be prosecuted under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 for organising the Blackout 505 rally in Johor [1]. In the 2018 general election, he served as campaign manager for PKR candidate Edmund Santhara, who won the Segamat seat from Barisan Nasional for the first time [1]. After Santhara later defected, Yuneswaran contested and won the Segamat parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election (GE15) with a majority of 5,669 votes [2]. He was listed as an appointed member of PKR's Central Leadership Council (MPP) for the 2022–2025 term [3]. On 16 December 2025, he was sworn in as Deputy Minister of National Unity in a cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim [4]. He contested the PKR vice-presidential election in May 2025 but was unsuccessful [5].

Known for

Yuneswaran is known as the first politician to be prosecuted under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 in connection with the 2013 Blackout 505 rally in Johor [1]. He has been a vocal parliamentary advocate on public health legislation, particularly on vape regulation and tobacco control [6]. Since December 2025, he has served as Deputy Minister of National Unity under PM Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet [7].

Political positions

Yuneswaran has consistently advocated for a federal ban on e-cigarettes and vape products, criticising the government for removing liquid nicotine from the list of controlled substances under the Poisons Act 1952 in 2023 and for omitting a Generational End Game (GEG) provision from the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 [6]. On infrastructure, he has called for flood mitigation measures and transport infrastructure upgrades in northern Johor as a priority [1]. On electoral reform, he has backed proportional representation in the Dewan Rakyat and the introduction of elections for municipal councils and the Dewan Negara [1]. He has also called on the Malaysian government to push for full abolition of the death penalty domestically [1]. In his capacity as Deputy Minister of National Unity, he has spoken out against racist remarks in Parliament and stated that the proposed National Harmony Act was under discussion to strengthen the legal framework for unity and harmony [8]. He urged the government to establish a dedicated RM5 million startup fund to support young entrepreneurs, particularly from the Indian community, in the digital economy [5].

Education

1. Early childhood–secondaryGrew up in the Klang Valley; attended Sin Min Chinese School in Sungai Besar, Selangor, before completing secondary school at SMK Desa Cemerlang (Ulu Tiram), Johor.⛓
2. Post-secondaryObtained an MBA through Anglia Ruskin University.⛓

Political career

1. 2008Joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).⛓
2. 2013Became the first person to be prosecuted under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 for organising the Blackout 505 rally in Johor.⛓
3. 2018Served as campaign manager for PKR's Edmund Santhara in GE14; Santhara won Segamat from Barisan Nasional for the first time.⛓
4. November 2022Won the Segamat parliamentary seat (P140) in GE15 under PKR/PH with a majority of 5,669 votes, defeating BN's M Ramasamy, PN's P Poobalan, and Pejuang's Syed Hairoul Faizey.⛓
5. 2022Appointed as a member of PKR's Central Leadership Council (MPP) for the 2022–2025 term.⛓
6. November 2023BN's M Ramasamy withdrew his election petition challenging Yuneswaran's GE15 victory; Yuneswaran confirmed as Segamat MP.⛓
7. May 2025Contested the PKR vice-presidential election for the 2025–2028 term but was unsuccessful.⛓
8. 16 December 2025Sworn in as Deputy Minister of National Unity in PM Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet reshuffle.⛓

Election history

• 2022Segamat (P140)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsYuneswaran won the Segamat parliamentary seat in GE15 (November 2022) with a majority of 5,669 votes, confirmed by the Election Commission. BN's subsequent election petition was withdrawn in November 2023. He was appointed Deputy Minister of National Unity on 16 December 2025.⛓
• GovernmentAs Deputy Minister of National Unity, Yuneswaran has represented the ministry's position that the proposed National Harmony Act requires further discussion, and that the ministry's role is mediation rather than enforcement on racial harmony matters.⛓
• OppositionBN's candidate M Ramasamy challenged Yuneswaran's GE15 victory through an election petition, alleging violations of election rules regarding campaign materials and distribution of food parcels to voters. The petition was ultimately withdrawn in November 2023.⛓
• ExpertCodeBlue (Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy) reported Yuneswaran's call for a federal vape ban in the context of public health costs, noting his point that the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 omits the Generational End Game ban.⛓
• AffectedYuneswaran raised in Parliament that in one Segamat service centre, nine out of ten welfare applications were rejected on health grounds, questioning whether assessing officers had the necessary medical background — an issue affecting elderly and rural constituents in the ageing district.⛓

Notable legal history

Yuneswaran was the first person prosecuted under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 for organising the Blackout 505 rally in Johor in 2013 (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuneswaran_Ramaraj). In October 2015, the Court of Appeal in the case of PP v Yuneswaran Ramaraj unanimously upheld the constitutional validity of Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 — which requires organisers to give 10 days' notice to police — finding it consistent with Article 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution (Source: malaysiakini.com/letters/314603). The final disposition of the criminal charge against Yuneswaran personally is not independently confirmed by two allowlist sources with a clear finalised outcome; the legal history entry is therefore limited to the above confirmed appellate ruling.