In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 17 April 1962
- Birthplace
- Sibu, Sarawak
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Becoming Malaysia’s first deputy prime minister from Sarawak and East Malaysia
- Parliament
- Petra Jaya MP since 2004
- Earlier portfolios
- Science deputy minister; works; plantation and commodities
- Deputy prime minister
- Sworn in 3 December 2022
- Current portfolio
- Energy Transition and Water Transformation · reviewed 15 October 2026
- Historic first
- First deputy prime minister from East Malaysia
Why this life matters
Fadillah’s career connects Sarawak’s federal representation with infrastructure delivery and the practical challenges of changing Malaysia’s energy system.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Sibu
Born on 17 April in Sarawak.
Completed a law degree
Graduated from the University of Malaya and later practised law.
Entered Parliament
Won the Petra Jaya seat, the foundation of his federal parliamentary career.
Became deputy science minister
Joined the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
First term as works minister
Held the infrastructure portfolio during the launch of the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sarawak in 2015.
Returned as senior works minister
Resumed cabinet service after the 2018 change of federal government.
Became deputy prime minister
Appointed on 2 December and sworn in on 3 December, also taking the plantation and commodities ministry.
Moved to energy and public utilities
The 12 December reshuffle transferred him to the newly formed Ministry of Energy Transition and Public Utilities.
Ministry renamed PETRA
The ministry became Energy Transition and Water Transformation; its earlier establishment and later renaming are separate events.
Outlined power-sector transition priorities
Discussed renewables, storage, grid investment and coal-transition targets in a published 2 July closing speech.
Sarawak origins, legal training and Petra Jaya
Fadillah Yusof was born in Sibu, Sarawak, on 17 April 1962. He completed a University of Malaya law degree in 1986 and practised as a lawyer before moving into national office. His political route ran through Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, or PBB, rather than a peninsula-based party organisation.
He entered Parliament for Petra Jaya in 2004. The constituency in the Kuching area remained the base for a career spanning several federal administrations. His later deputy premiership also carried a regional distinction: Sarawak had supplied cabinet ministers for decades, but no politician from East Malaysia had previously held that office.
Previous offices: science, works and infrastructure
Fadillah became deputy minister of science, technology and innovation in 2008, then works minister in 2013. His first works tenure lasted until the 2018 change of government. He returned as a senior minister responsible for works and infrastructure coordination in 2020 and remained in the works portfolio before Anwar Ibrahim’s government was formed in 2022.
One prominent project associated with the earlier works period was the Sarawak Pan Borneo Highway, launched in 2015. Bernama’s 2022 profile describes federal and Sarawak leaders’ involvement, including Chief Minister Adenan Satem. It was a multi-administration project, not an undertaking attributable to one minister alone; construction forecasts made in that profile are not current completion figures.
The December 2022 deputy-premier appointment
Anwar announced Fadillah’s appointment on 2 December 2022, and he took the oath on 3 December. He became the first deputy prime minister from Sarawak and from East Malaysia. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was sworn in as the other deputy prime minister, giving the new government two holders of the office.
Fadillah initially combined the deputy premiership with the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities. That initial portfolio is important when tracing his previous offices: he did not begin the deputy premiership as energy minister. His appointment brought the Sarawak-based Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition into the highest tier of the federal executive alongside other unity-government partners.
From commodities to energy: the ministry’s name changed
The 12 December 2023 cabinet reshuffle moved Fadillah from plantations and commodities to the new Ministry of Energy Transition and Public Utilities. He retained the deputy premiership. In February 2024 the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, commonly shortened to PETRA.
The two dates describe establishment and renaming, not two separate appointments as deputy prime minister. Water was made explicit in the later English title. At the 15 October 2026 review, the Prime Minister’s Office cabinet list continued to identify Fadillah as deputy prime minister and minister of energy transition and water transformation.
What his energy-transition role involves
In a published speech on 2 July 2026, Fadillah discussed renewable generation, electricity networks, battery storage and corporate renewable-energy procurement through CRESS. He presented affordability and reliability as constraints on the transition, warning against replacing coal dependence with greater dependence on imported liquefied natural gas.
The speech restated targets to move away from coal-fired electricity generation by 2044 and reach 70 per cent renewable-energy installed capacity by 2050. Those are future policy targets, not results already achieved. Installed capacity is also not the same measure as electricity actually generated. The distinction makes his present brief more specific than a general claim of responsibility for a green economy.
Sources for this section: [8]
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Fadillah Yusof
- What were Fadillah Yusof’s previous offices?
- He was deputy science, technology and innovation minister from 2008, works minister in 2013–2018, and senior works minister after returning in 2020. He took plantation and commodities in December 2022, then energy transition and public utilities in December 2023; the latter ministry was renamed PETRA in February 2024.
- What is Fadillah Yusof’s current position?
- At the 15 October 2026 review, the Prime Minister’s Office lists him as deputy prime minister and minister of energy transition and water transformation. The review date matters because cabinet portfolios can change.
- Was Fadillah Malaysia’s first deputy prime minister from East Malaysia?
- Yes. The Sarawak politician became the first deputy prime minister from East Malaysia when he was sworn in on 3 December 2022, alongside fellow deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
- How old is Fadillah Yusof?
- He was born on 17 April 1962, making him 64 at this biography’s review on 15 October 2026. His age here is tied to that review date, not presented as an automatically updating figure.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Nancy Shukri
Explore Nancy Shukri’s separate route from Sarawak legal and constituency work into federal cabinet portfolios.
- Anwar Ibrahim
The prime minister who appointed Fadillah to the deputy premiership in December 2022.
- Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
The other deputy prime minister sworn in at the same ceremony.
- Adenan Satem
The Sarawak chief minister associated with negotiations over the Pan Borneo Highway.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. BernamaFadillah Yusof: first Sarawakian deputy prime minister
The 3 December 2022 profile supports legal training, earlier portfolios and the Pan Borneo context. Its general-election numbering around 2004 is inconsistent and is not adopted. Its construction forecasts are not current delivery data.
- 2. Parliament of MalaysiaMember profile — Fadillah Yusof, Dewan Rakyat
The indexed Dewan Rakyat profile identifies Petra Jaya and the member’s name. Direct access was unavailable; the former Dewan Negara URL parameter has been corrected. Archived parliamentary profiles are not current cabinet evidence.
- 3. Energy Market Authority, SingaporeFadillah Yusof — SIEW 2026 speaker biography
The Energy Market Authority’s 2026 speaker biography corroborates education and portfolios. Promotional descriptions of leadership and impact are not independent evaluations and are not adopted as findings.
- 4. Prime Minister’s Office of MalaysiaTwo deputy prime ministers and 25 ministers sworn in
This contemporaneous report distinguishes the 2 December announcement from the 3 December 2022 swearing-in and identifies the original plantation and commodities portfolio.
- 5. BernamaFadillah appointed to energy transition and public utilities
- 6. PETRAMinistry background and name change
The ministry history distinguishes its December 2023 formation from the February 2024 renaming. Its precise February approval day differs from the contemporaneous Energy Commission announcement; only month-level precision is used here.
- 7. Prime Minister’s Office of MalaysiaList of Ministers
Used for current offices at the 15 October 2026 review. A Sabah/Sarawak assignment reported in 2023 is not automatically carried forward as his exclusive current responsibility.
- 8. Fadillah Yusof / PETRAMalaysia’s Energy Future closing speech, 2 July 2026
The published 2 July 2026 speech, especially paragraphs 12 and 17–28, explains policy targets and instruments. It is a ministerial statement, not independently audited delivery evidence; renewable installed capacity is not generation share.
- 9. Wikimedia CommonsFadillah Yusof 2021 — image and licence record
Existing photograph and reuse record retained without changing the image or crop.
