Mohammed Taufiq Johari


Mohammed Taufiq bin Johari is a Malaysian physician and politician who has served as the Minister of Youth and Sports since December 2025 and the Member of Parliament for Sungai Petani in Kedah since November 2022. He is a member and the Division Chief of Sungai Petani of the People's Justice Party, a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
He is the son of the 11th Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat and former Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul. Elected at the age of 26, he became one of the youngest members of the Dewan Rakyat and is the sole Pakatan Harapan MP in the Kedah "Malay Belt". Following a cabinet reshuffle in late 2025, he became the youngest Cabinet minister in the Anwar Ibrahim cabinet.
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Early life and education

Mohammed Taufiq was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 March 1996. He is the sixth child of Johari Abdul and Noraini Mohd, who had eight children together. He attended school at Gombak High School, Selangor. He pursued higher education in Indonesia, obtaining a Doctor of Medicine degree from Bandung Islamic University in 2020.

Political career

Early involvement

Prior to his election to Parliament, Mohammed Taufiq served as the Chief of the Angkatan Muda Keadilan for both the Kedah state and the Sungai Petani division. His early work focused on strengthening party organization at the state level and mobilizing youth participation in reformist activities.
In May 2025, he was elected as one of the Vice Youth Chiefs of PKR during the party leadership election.

Parliamentary career

In the 2022 Malaysian general election, Taufiq was nominated to contest the Sungai Petani seat, replacing his father who had held the seat since 2008. The election in Sungai Petani was highly competitive, involving 168,847 registered voters. Taufiq won the seat with 50,580 votes, defeating his closest rival Robert Ling Kui Ee from Perikatan Nasional by a slim majority of 1,115 votes. This victory made him one of only two PH representatives in the state of Kedah, which was otherwise dominated by the opposition PN coalition.
As a backbencher, Taufiq was active in debates regarding the gig economy, digital safety, and youth advocacy. In July 2025, he advocated for a clearer legal definition of gig workers, citing projections that the sector would expand to 3.5 million workers by the end of the year. He also strongly endorsed government proposals to ban social media access for children under 16 to curb cyberbullying and online harassment.
He served as the Treasurer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Integrity, Governance and Anti-Corruption and was appointed as a "Friend of the Ministry" by the Ministry of National Unity in August 2025. Internationally, he represented Malaysia at the Asian Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Palestine in January 2024.

Minister of Youth and Sports (2025–present)

On 16 December 2025, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced Taufiq's appointment as the Minister of Youth and Sports, succeeding Hannah Yeoh. He was sworn in the following day at Istana Negara before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim.

Controversies and issues

Allegations of nepotism

During the 2022 general election, Taufiq's nomination for Sungai Petani drew criticism due to his relationship with the incumbent MP, Johari Abdul. Critics and opposition members labeled him "anak papa", alleging nepotism. This issue resurfaced in October 2023 when Pendang MP Awang Hashim used the term in the Dewan Rakyat, leading to Awang's suspension from the session. Taufiq has defended his position, stating that he went through the standard party nomination process and that his selection was based on merit and his leadership of the Kedah AMK.

AI deepfake blackmail attempt

In September 2025, Taufiq was targeted in a cyber-extortion scheme involving deepfake pornography. On 12 September, he received an email demanding RM100,000 in cryptocurrency to prevent the release of a fabricated video depicting him. He was the third PKR lawmaker to face such threats, following Wong Chen and Rafizi Ramli. Taufiq refused to pay, publicly denounced the video as AI-generated fake content, and lodged a police report. The case was investigated by Bukit Aman under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Doctor title dispute

In December 2025, the Malaysia Corruption Watch called on Taufiq to provide official documentation to substantiate his use of the "Dr." title. The MCW emphasized that academic titles used by public figures should be validated to prevent misleading the public. Taufiq's biography lists a Doctor of Medicine degree from Bandung Islamic University obtained in 2020.

Personal life

On 9 March 2024, Taufiq married Fathiya Ainul Mardhiyah Andri Nopendra, a 26-year-old Indonesian national. The wedding ceremony was held at the Sungai Petani Municipal Council hall and was attended by high-profile dignitaries, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and cabinet ministers.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia