Hannah Yeoh is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who is currently the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Unity Government administration.
She is also the Member of Parliament for Segambut, a parliamentary constituency in Kuala Lumpur. She is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a constituent party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
She is known for her advocacy on social issues such as women’s rights, child protection, religious freedom, and environmental sustainability. She is also a Young Global Leader, Class of 2018, of the World Economic Forum.
File
- Full Name: Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan
- Date of birth: January 9, 1979
- Age: 44 years old
- Gender: Female
- Place of birth: Subang Jaya, Malaysia
- Nationality: Malaysian
- Occupation: Politician and lawyer
- Height: 172 cm
- Parents: Yeoh Kian Teik and Tan Siew Hoon
- Siblings: One brother and one sister
- Spouse: Ramachandran Muniandy
- Children: Two daughters, Kayleigh Imani Ram and Shay Adora Ram
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $5 million
Early life and education
Hannah Yeoh was born on 9 January 1979 in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, at the age of 44. She is the eldest of three children, including Yeoh Kian Teik, a businessman, and Tan Siew Hoon, a housewife.
She has a younger brother and a younger sister. She is of Chinese descent and identifies herself as a Christian.
Hannah Yeoh attended SK Sri Subang Jaya, SRK SS19 and SMK Subang Utama for primary and secondary school.
She participates in many extracurricular activities, such as debating, public speaking and drama. She is also a good student and is the leader of the school girls.
Hannah Yeoh continued her studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia and obtained a law degree in 2001.
She was awarded the Dean’s Roll of Excellence for her academic achievements. She also competed in the Australian National Debating Competition and the Philip C. Jessup International Law Debating Competition.
Personal life
Hannah Yeoh met her husband, Ramachandran Muniandy, a civil engineer, at the University of Tasmania.
They were married in 2008 in a multicultural wedding that combined Christian and Hindu traditions.
They have two daughters, Kayleigh Imani Ram, born in 2010, and Shay Adora Ram, born in 2014.
Hannah Yeoh and her husband had some difficulty registering their child’s name and religion as they wanted to leave the religion column blank and use their child’s surname.
They finally overcame the bureaucratic hurdles and obtained a birth certificate for their child.
Hannah Yeoh and her family live in Subang Jaya, where she grew up. She is close to her parents and siblings, who support her in her political career.
She enjoys reading, writing and spending time with family and friends.
Career
Hannah Yeoh started her political career in 2008 when she won the seat representing Subang Jaya in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly.
She was the youngest candidate and the first female candidate to contest the seat. She defeated Lee Hwa Beng, the incumbent candidate of the Barisan Nasional coalition, with a majority of 13,851 votes.
Hannah Yeoh made history when she became the first woman and youngest Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly in 2013. She was elected by all members of the assembly with a unanimous vote.
She served as Speaker of the House of Representatives until 2018 when she contested and won the Segambut parliamentary seat in the 14th general election.
She defeated Loga Bala Mohan, the incumbent of the Barisan Nasional coalition, with a majority of 45,702 votes.
Hannah Yeoh was appointed as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development in the Pakatan Harapan government led by Mahathir Mohamad in 2018.
She worked under Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was also Deputy Prime Minister. She held this position until the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed in February 2020.
In December 2022, Hannah Yeoh was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports in the Unity Government administration led by Anwar Ibrahim.
She is the first woman to hold this portfolio. She has also been the National Assistant Publicity Minister of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) since March 2022.
As a politician, Hannah Yeoh has fought for various causes, such as women’s empowerment, child welfare, religious harmony, and environmental protection.
She has initiated and supported a number of policies and programmes, such as the Gender Responsive Budget, the Child Sexual Offences Bill, the Selangor Religious Freedom Bill and the Selangor Green Agenda.
Argumentative
Hannah Yeoh has been involved in a number of controversies throughout her political career.
Some of them are:
In 2014, she was sued by a Muslim activist, Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, for allegedly insulting Islam and Malay rights in her book Becoming Hannah.
She denied the allegations and said her book was about her journey and her faith. The case was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2016.
In 2017, she was investigated by police for treason after posting a tweet criticizing the government’s decision to introduce Khat (Jawi calligraphy) in vernacular schools.
She maintained that she was only expressing her views and defending the rights of parents and students. The Attorney General’s Office later dropped the investigation.
In 2019, she was criticised by the mother of a murdered 15-year-old girl, Ng Yuk Tim, for announcing the abolition of the death penalty.
The mother accused her of being insensitive and unhelpful when she searched for her daughter who went missing in 2013.
Hannah Yeoh responded by apologizing and explaining her stance on the matter. She also said she tried to support the mother at the time but was unable to get in touch with her.
In 2020, she was questioned by police for allegedly making inflammatory statements about the appointment of new Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
She posted a message on Facebook congratulating former minister Shafie Apdal and expressing hope for a better Malaysia. She denied any wrongdoing and said she was exercising her right to freedom of expression.
Social media
- Instagram Name: @hannahyeoh
- Twitter Username: @hannahyeoh
Book
- Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey
Net worth
Hannah Yeoh’s net worth is estimated at $5 million.
She made her fortune from her career as a politician and lawyer. She also receives income from book sales and public speaking engagements.
