Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff
Siti Zailah binti Mohd Yusoff (Jawi: سيتي ظل ﷲ بنت محمد يوسف; born 12 October 1963) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rantau Panjang since March 2008. She served as the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development for the second term in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former Minister Rina Harun from August 2021 to the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 and the first term in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration under former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Minister Rina from March 2020 to the collapse of the PN administration in August 2021. She is a member and Women Chief of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).[1]
Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff | |
---|---|
سيتي ظل ﷲ محمد يوسف | |
Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development | |
In office 30 August 2021 – 24 November 2022 | |
Monarch | Abdullah |
Prime Minister | Ismail Sabri Yaakob |
Minister | Rina Harun |
Preceded by | Herself |
Succeeded by | Raj Munni Sabu |
Constituency | Rantau Panjang |
In office 10 March 2020 – 16 August 2021 | |
Monarch | Abdullah |
Prime Minister | Muhyiddin Yassin |
Minister | Rina Harun |
Preceded by | Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan |
Succeeded by | Herself |
Constituency | Rantau Panjang |
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Rantau Panjang | |
Assumed office 8 March 2008 | |
Preceded by | Abdul Fatah Harun (PAS) |
Majority | 4,486 (2008) 6,362 (2013) 6,150 (2018) 20,636 (2022) |
Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat | |
2008–2020 | Malaysian Islamic Party |
2020– | Perikatan Nasional |
Faction represented in Dewan Negara | |
2000–2006 | Malaysian Islamic Party |
Personal details | |
Born | Siti Zailah binti Mohd Yusoff 12 October 1963 Kelantan, Malaysia |
Citizenship | Malaysian |
Nationality | Malaysia |
Political party | Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) |
Other political affiliations | Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2008–2015) Gagasan Sejahtera (GS) (2016–2020) Perikatan Nasional (PN) (2020-present) Muafakat Nasional (MN) (2019-2022) |
Occupation | Politician |
Website | sitizailah |
Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff on Parliament of Malaysia | |
Political career
She was elected to the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia for Rantau Panjang in the 2008 general election.[2] Before her election she was a Senator for Kelantan, an appointed position.[3] She won the seat again in the 2013 general election.
In 2011, she was elected as the head of PAS Muslimat, the women's wing of PAS. She retained the post in the 2013 party elections.[4]
Controversies and issues
In July 2014, after the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, Siti Zailah stated that in light of the possibility of "Allah's wrath", Malaysia Airlines should stop serving alcohol and revise the dress code of the female flight attendants, and especially so for Muslim females. Empower, the non-governmental organization criticized her statements, accusing them of being "insensitive and irrelevant".[5]
During the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, Siti Zailah, the newly appointed deputy minister for women and family development brought up the question of shariah-compliant uniforms at a time when airline staff were facing likely job cuts, resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak causing a worldwide collapse in travel demand, in Parliament. She faced backlash from the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia,[6] and from both the public and former Youth and Sports minister YB Syed Saddiq.[7]
Within the same period, she made a post on Twitter, noting that "The fatality rate for COVID-19 is only just 1%, but the chances of us dying at any moment is 100%. Renew our faith and be afraid of Allah, as death is something that is genuine, and comes without invitation". After much blowback on social media, she temporarily closed her Twitter account.[6]
In February 2022, she made an Instagram video telling husbands how to punish their wives for "unruly" behavior. She suggested that a husband should start by communicating and if that fails, he should refuse to sleep with his wife. If the wife still does not change her behavior, Siti recommended husbands beat their wives "gently" and use the “bodily contact method” as punishment. This led to outcries from the women's rights coalition Joint Action Group for Gender Equality and from its members such as Sisters in Islam, the Women's Aid Organisation, the Women's Centre for Change, calling for her to step down.[8][9][10]
In May 2023, Siti Zailah is being investigated for illegally using water from a fire hydrant for the use of residents in her constituency facing a water shortage due to the 2023 heat wave. While she claimed that she has gotten permission from Air Kelantan Sdn. Bhd. (AKSB) in her Facebook page, Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department director Zainal Madasin said otherwise. Zainal had also checked with AKSB managing director Nazmi Ghazali Azmi and confirmed that neither agency had received any request from Siti Zailah. Zainal and Nazmi have lodged police reports on the issue.[11][12]
Election results
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | P023 Rantau Panjang, Kelantan | Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS) | 19,344 | 54.57% | Mohd Afandi Yusoff (UMNO) | 14,858 | 41.91% | 35,451 | 4,486 | 78.11% | ||
Isma Airfath Hassanuddin (IND) | 330 | 0.93% | ||||||||||
2013 | Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS) | 23,724 | 56.57% | Ghazali Ismail (UMNO) | 17,448 | 41.61% | 41,934 | 6,362 | 79.27% | |||
2018 | Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS) | 24,581 | 50.82% | Abdullah Mat Yasim (UMNO) | 18,431 | 38.10% | 49,639 | 6,150 | 75.08% | |||
Wan Shah Jihan Wan Din (AMANAH) | 5,361 | 11.08% | ||||||||||
2022 | Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS) | 37,759 | 62.38% | Zulkarnain Yusoff (UMNO) | 17,123 | 28.29% | 61,406 | 20,636 | 64.91% | |||
Wan Shah Jihan Wan Din (AMANAH) | 4,256 | 7.03% | ||||||||||
Ibrahim Ali (PUTRA) | 1,216 | 2.01% | ||||||||||
Mohd Zain Ismail (PRM) | 172 | 0.29% |
Honours
- Kelantan :
- Crown of Kelantan Decoration (SMK) (2010)
- Companion of the Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (JMK) (2011)
- Knight Commander of the Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (DJMK) – Dato' (2019)[20][21]
References
- "Siti Zailah binti Mohd Yusoff, Y.B. Puan" (in Malay). Parliament of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- "Malaysia Decides 2008". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- "Kelantan Continues To Add Colour To Local Politics". Bernama. 24 February 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
- "Siti Zailah retains PAS Muslimat top post". The Star. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- Hodal, Kate. "MH370 families offer to counsel bereaved relatives of MH17 victims" (Archived 1 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine). The Guardian. 27 July 2014. Retrieved on 3 August 2014.
- "Deputy minister closes Twitter account after uproar over Covid-19 post". Free Malaysia Today. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- Tan, Tarrence (14 March 2020). "Dep Women and Family Minister slammed for emphasising syariah-compliant attire for flight attendants". The Star. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- "Give unruly wives a gentle beating, minister tells Malaysian men". The Times. 15 February 2022. ISSN 0140-0460.
- "Malaysian woman minister says OK for men to use 'firm touch' on 'stubborn wives'". South China Morning Post. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- Solhi, Farah (14 February 2022). "Siti Zailah urged to resign over her marital advice videos | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- "MP did not ask for permission to take water from fire hydrant, says Kelantan Bomba director". The Star. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- Yusry, Muhammad (8 May 2023). "Kelantan Bomba chief says MP didn't seek permission to channel water from hydrant to residents". Malay Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 27 May 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 19 April 2013. Results only available from the 2004 election (GE11).
- "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2017.Results only available for the 2013 election.
- "my undi : Kawasan & Calon-Calon PRU13 : Keputusan PRU13 (Archived copy)". www.myundi.com.my. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13". Utusan Malaysia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE - 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
- Abdullah, Sharifah Mahsinah (11 November 2019). "Auditor general among 623 to receive Kelantan awards". New Straits Times. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- "Ketua Audit Negara dahului senarai 623 penerima kehormatan Kelantan". Bernama (in Malay). 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.