Yeo Bee Yin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Berhormat Puan Yeo Bee Yin MP
杨美盈
Yeo Bee Yin in 2018
Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change
In office 2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
Monarch	Muhammad V (2018–2019) Abdullah (2019–2020)
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis
Preceded by	Wilfred Madius Tangau (Science, Technology) Maximus Ongkili (Energy) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Environment)
Succeeded by	Khairy Jamaluddin (Science, Technology) Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (Energy) Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (Environment)
Constituency	Bakri
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Puchong
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 November 2022
Preceded by	Gobind Singh Deo (PH–DAP)
Majority	57,957 (2022)
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Bakri
In office 9 May 2018 – 19 November 2022
Preceded by	Er Teck Hwa (PR–DAP)
Succeeded by	Tan Hong Pin (PH–DAP)
Majority	23,211 (2018)
Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Damansara Utama
In office 5 May 2013 – 9 May 2018
Preceded by	Cheah Wing Yin (PR–DAP)
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Majority	30,689 (2013)
Deputy Women Chief of the Democratic Action Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 September 2023
Secretary-General	Anthony Loke Siew Fook
Women Chief	Teo Nie Ching
State Secretary of the Democratic Action Party of Selangor
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 November 2024
Assistant	Tony Leong Tuck Chee
Secretary-General	Anthony Loke Siew Fook
State Chairman	Ng Sze Han
Preceded by	Ng Sze Han
Assistant National Publicity Secretary of the Democratic Action Party
In office 12 November 2017 – 20 March 2022 Serving with Zairil Khir Johari
National Publicity Secretary	Tony Pua Kiam Wee
Secretary-General	Lim Guan Eng
Succeeded by	Ganabatirau Veraman
Personal details
Born	Yeo Bee Yin (1983-05-26) 26 May 1983 (age 42) Segamat, Johor, Malaysia
Citizenship	Malaysian
Political party	Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Other political affiliations	Pakatan Rakyat (PR) (2008–2015) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (since 2015)
Spouse	Lee Yeow Seng ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	3
Alma mater	Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Hwa Nan, Batu Anam Universiti Teknologi Petronas Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Field engineer
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	楊美盈
Simplified Chinese	杨美盈
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yáng Měiyíng Southern Min Hokkien POJ Iôⁿ Bí-êng
Yeo Bee Yin on Parliament of Malaysia

Yeo Bee Yin (simplified Chinese: 杨美盈; traditional Chinese: 楊美盈; pinyin: Yáng Měiyíng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Iôⁿ Bí-êng; born on May 26, 1983) is a Malaysian politician and engineer. She is currently a Member of Parliament (MP) for Puchong since November 2022.

Before this, she was the Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change from July 2018 to February 2020. She also served as an MP for Bakri and a Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Damansara Utama. She is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Early Life and Education

Yeo Bee Yin was born on May 26, 1983. She grew up in a small town called Batu Anam in Segamat, Johor.

She went to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Hwa Nan, Batu Anam. In 2006, she earned a First Class Honors degree in Chemical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP). After working for two years, she continued her studies at Cambridge University in the UK. She earned a Master's degree in Advanced Chemical Engineering with high marks.

Political Journey

Yeo started helping the DAP party in 2012 before officially joining it. She worked as a social media advisor and special assistant for the party.

She holds important roles in DAP, including Assistant National Publicity Secretary and Vice Chairperson of Pakatan Harapan Youth.

First Election Win

In the 2013 general election, Yeo ran for office for the first time. She won the seat for Damansara Utama in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly. She received a very high number of votes, making her the youngest member of the assembly at that time. Her main goals were to reduce crime, ease traffic, and fight floods and poverty.

In 2017, Yeo asked for more transparency about the money used for the PERMATApintar program. This program helps children with education and welfare. She believed that such programs should be managed by government ministries, not by individuals not elected by the public.

In the 2018 general election, Yeo was chosen to run for the Parliament in the Bakri area. She won this election and became a Member of Parliament.

Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change

On July 2, 2018, Yeo became the Minister of Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment. Her ministry was later renamed to MESTECC.

As minister, she worked on several important projects:

• She aimed to increase Malaysia's use of renewable energy from 2% to 20% by 2030. Renewable energy comes from natural sources like sun and wind.
• She started a plan to make government buildings use energy more efficiently.

Reducing Plastic Waste

Yeo helped ban the import of plastic waste into Malaysia. She also launched a 12-year plan to stop the use of single-use plastics by 2030. This plan helps reduce plastic pollution, which harms the environment and our health. Her efforts were recognized by the science journal Nature.

Malaysia was ranked 8th globally for mismanaged plastic waste in 2015. This waste can break down into tiny pieces called micro-plastics, which can enter our food and water. The "Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastic by 2030" guides Malaysia to reduce plastic use step by step.

Changes to Power Plants

Yeo announced the cancellation of four power plant contracts. These contracts were given without open bidding and were not needed. Cancelling them saved the government RM1.26 billion (about $270 million USD) and prevented electricity bills from increasing.

Promoting Green Energy

Her ministry also worked on improving the "Feed-in Tariff" (FiT) system. This system pays people who generate renewable energy. They also opened a new bidding process for mini-hydro, biogas, and biomass energy projects. This helps create more green energy at fair prices.

Solar Power Initiatives

The government also improved the Net Energy Metering (NEM) program. This program encourages people to install solar panels on their rooftops. If you generate more solar energy than you use, you can sell the extra back to the grid. Now, for every 1 kWh you generate and send back, you get 1 kWh off your bill.

For businesses and factories, they introduced "solar leasing." This means companies can get solar panels installed without paying upfront costs. An investor pays for the panels, and the business pays them back over time from the energy savings.

Large Scale Solar Projects

In 2019, the government asked for bids to build large solar power plants. This led to much cheaper solar energy. The cost of solar power became even lower than natural gas power. This makes Malaysia's energy mix more competitive and diverse.

Yeo mentioned that Malaysia needs about RM33 billion (about $7 billion USD) in investments to reach its goal of 20% renewable energy by 2025. The government supports green investments with special schemes and tax breaks.

Managing Waste from Lynas Plant

Yeo's ministry also made a decision about the waste from the Lynas Advance Material Plant in Gebeng. This plant produces materials and has waste that contains radioactive substances. The ministry decided that this waste must be removed from Malaysia. This decision was made to protect the community and the environment from the risks of waste accumulation.

Community Work

Outside of her work in parliament, Yeo is very active in the community:

• Her office runs two free tuition centers for students aged 7 to 17 from low-income families.
• She organizes a monthly food bank program, providing basic help to over 100 people.
• She helped start the Impian Malaysia movement, which builds basic things like roads, water, and electricity in rural areas of Sarawak.
• She founded LEAP (Leadership, Education, Activism and Politics). This program teaches students about politics and how to be active in their country.
• She also created the Lawatan Anak Muda (LAM) Programme. This program allows young people to visit the Malaysian Parliament and the Selangor State Assembly. They can also ask questions to Members of Parliament.

Personal Life

Yeo Bee Yin married Lee Yeow Seng on March 11, 2019. He is the CEO of IOI Properties Group Bhd. His family is known for their business success. Yeo has three children; her youngest son was born in January 2023.

Election Results

Awards and Recognitions

Yeo Bee Yin has received several international honors for her work:

• Nature magazine named her one of the "Top 10 People Who Mattered in Science 2018."
• Eco-Business recognized her as one of "7 people who stood up for our planet in 2018."
• The Ecologist journal listed her among "25 inspirational female climate leaders shaping 2019."
• The World Economic Forum named her one of the "127 Young Global Leaders 2019."

Images for kids

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  Yeo Bee Yin in 2018