Mohd Arifin Bin Haji Mohd Arif

• Serving as Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Membakut since March 2004
• Held successive ministerial roles in the Sabah state government from 2013 to the present, ascending from Assistant Minister to full Minister positions
• Served as Chairman of the Islamic Affairs Coordination Committee and Advisor on Islamic Affairs to the Chief Minister, beginning in 2021

• Serving as State Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) administration since January 2023
• Previously held roles including:
  • Minister of Special Functions & Coordination (2022–2023),
  • Minister with Special Tasks (2020–2022),
  • Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister (2013–2018)

• Formerly with Sabah UMNO (under Barisan Nasional) until 2018.
• Briefly served as an Independent (2018–2019), then joined BERSATU Sabah (2019–2022), and later aligned with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) from 2020 onward.
• Since 2023, he has been Vice President of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), a GRS component party

• Arifin lodges police report over bribery allegations — The Star, 5 February 2025: full link included in source The Star.
• Arifin wants probe into MalaysiaKini report — Daily Express Malaysia, 6 February 2025: full link included in source Daily Express.
• Sabah minister denies allegations linking daughter to Zara Qairina case — The Vibes, 9 August 2025: full link included in source The Vibes.

• Following the allegations, WARISAN—Sabah’s opposition party—escalated the rhetoric. WARISAN’s youth chief and women’s chief publicly urged Mohd Arifin to resign as Sabah’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation to preserve the government’s integrity amid the mining corruption fallout Reddit.

Legislating for Muslim Child Adoption

As State Exco for Islamic Affairs, he tabled and helped pass the Muslim Adoption Enactment 2024, providing Sabah its first formal legal framework for Muslim child adoption and registration, replacing previous reliance on Syariah court guidelines Daily Express.

Promoting STEM Education

Championed the STEM Fiesta—a science and technology outreach program—that expanded significantly across Sabah’s educational districts ksti.sabah.gov.my.

Launched or opened events like the Kembara Sains Borneo (Science Expedition) to popularize science awareness ksti.sabah.gov.my.

Advocacy for Libraries and Science Centres

He underscored the enduring relevance of libraries in the digital era, launching awareness events such as Minggu Perpustakaan 2024. He also facilitated the establishment of Science Centres in Keningau and planned expansions to Tawau and Sandakan to nurture youth interest in science Sabah Media.

Balancing Religious Perspectives with Moderation

By rejecting public caning and promoting an approach rooted in Fiqh Sabahi, Mohd Arifin helped preserve religious harmony and underscored Sabah’s unique social setup Malay MailThe Star.