My Story - Hannah Yeoh

When I first joined politics in 2008, Malaysia’s political landscape was very different - there was a great deal of skepticism about it. People thought nothing was ever going to change, and me, being just one person could not be significant enough to fight corruption. But that was what I needed to do and that was the reason I joined politics - to fight corruption and to fight race-based politics.

My conviction in the journey has always been to live clean and that is to not take anything that does not belong to me. Integrity is everything for a politician. I have always wanted my office to be one that’s safe, reliable and credible.

“A beautiful reputation is more to be desired than great riches, and to be esteemed by others is more honorable than to own immense investments.” Proverbs 22:1 (TPT)

I gave up everything and threw myself in because my husband and I both felt it was God’s call to enter the political space at a difficult time. Whatever the outcome was, it was God’s concern to see it through - my responsibility was just to obey. When I obeyed and that was in 2008, the state of Selangor experienced an unprecedented change in government. 

After serving 10 years as a State Assemblyman in Selangor, early in 2018 during our first Carriers Night in Kingdomcity Kuala Lumpur, God told me to move to Kuala Lumpur and spoke to me about a Parliamentary seat that will be given to me. It was a call to leave my comfort zone. Pastor Mark shared about the call to get out of the boat, to walk on water and to ‘stay in faith’ long enough when the storm comes. That sermon ministered to me during that uncertain time of leaving behind everything I have worked on in Subang Jaya (my boat) and to obey by contesting in a federal seat with no certainty of winning. I obeyed and moved and we won the seat. For the first time in history, we saw Malaysia experience a change in government at the federal level.

Many times it felt overwhelming and too much for me to carry. But it’s my heart’s desire to help those who matter to God - the poor, the children, the oppressed, and so in my portfolio it has been about looking after the welfare of this nation. For it to land on my lap was no coincidence, and it’s important to me because this portfolio matters a lot to God.

WHEN PASSION MEETS PURPOSE

It’s not just a job for me, the protection of children is something that I am incredibly passionate about. There are days at work when I would have to deal with the most heart-wrenching issues. We’re talking about children being victims and experiencing the effects of poor parenting skills, substance abuse or mental health. That’s painful to me. It’s a race against time with these social issues and it’s truly spiritual warfare. The learning curve is steep. I’m always learning about new issues, the powers of the government in each field. Everyday is a new lesson for wisdom and self-discipline to constantly tackle these issues.

There’s always the question of whether I could have done more, or if I have already done enough, or if I could have reversed the consequences for the children. It’s emotionally draining but at the same time, it’s my passion. There are these issues at hand and I’m determined to get up and go to work because I want to see change, I want to see an established social protection system put in place for these children. They represent what is to come and the enemy knows this. But I’ve been placed here to see my passion meet my purpose, I am grateful to be able to work with things that will really make a difference. 


THE GREATER CALL IS OBEDIENCE
The core of what I do with my life is this: the cause to rebuild Malaysia cannot be greater than the call to live for God. Sometimes we can go on this mission set out before us, and even though it’s the call of God, the mission has the potential to become your idol. But it’s important for us to remember that the mission isn’t the call. It’s just a work that you have to do.

Nothing that we have here is ours. It’s God’s, and that’s why being possessive about the role has to be out of the picture. It’s been a significant lesson to learn that my security cannot be in the work that I do but grounded in who God says I am and also, in obeying what God tells me to do. In the political realm, it’s easy to see that there are structures established to gain power, to win elections, to obtain more ground, but my conviction has always been to see that my direction is different. Physically and externally, I may be gaining more influence but internally, I have had to ensure that I constantly pull myself back to an alignment with God.

For me the practical way of living the call of God would be to take little steps of obedience. Every season may look different and it would require varying things to do, like building, digging, letting go, moving on and so forth. Personally, in this political journey, there have been seasons to take risks, seasons to let go, and seasons to step out again. It has been about gaining grounds, giving it up, then gaining grounds and giving it back to God. The entire journey has been a reminder that nothing I’ve built today is for any throne. Our job here on Earth has always been to be a vessel and a tool for God to use, to obey and live out as a good role model for all to see. 

EMPOWERED AND SECURE

I had a dream that I have remembered very well throughout my 10 years in politics. It happened during a time when I wanted to quit. I had a dream of a sycamore tree, and I saw a man coming to me with a cloak but I could not see his face. He opened up his cloak and a tree appeared. All I heard were these words: “Stay grafted to me and I will make you into a sycamore tree.”

When I traced this in the New Testament, the sycamore tree was the tree that Zacchaeus climbed on to see Jesus because he couldn’t. After He saw Jesus, He encountered Jesus and paid back all the money he took from the people. I know there are many Zacchaeus around me but my call is to be that sycamore tree. I can be a tool for people to see God, and that to me would mean to live right and not going out to harm anyone. 

A woman who is secure in God can do a lot more in the Kingdom. No matter what environment or situation you are in. It is God who calls us to build, to be empowered and to bring change.

UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS

“If God’s grace doesn’t help the builders, they will labour in vain to build a house. If God’s mercy doesn’t protect the city, all the sentries will circle it in vain.” Psalm 127:1 (TPT)

In my line of work, I know that unless God builds, we the labourers labor in vain. At the end of the day, it’s not about building a name for myself or building a victory for a particular political party - it has always been about God building our nation.

*This interview was conducted on 13 December 2018.

Interview with Hannah Yeoh

Hannah lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is married to Ram and they have two beautiful daughters.