In the 2013 general election Yap was energetic and optimistic for being nominated again as the BN candidate for the Serdang parliamentary seat although already in his seventies.
Yap joined DAP in 1968 and successfully stood for 1969 general election in Serdang state seat.
In 1973, Yap approached Selangor ruling BN's Menteri Besar Harun Idris for help to solve the problem of 50 families who were to be evicted after living for 50 years on mining land at the 8th mile Puchong Road to make way for a development project and the problem was solved in one month after the mining company allocated a piece of land for the families.
Somehow Yap's actions had caused some disagreement and dispute with Lim Kit Siang, then party secretary-general.
[3] Yap was an MCA former Youth chairman; a Serdang assemblyman and a Selangor executive councillor; was very outspoken regarding Chinese school and education matters.