Ewon Benedick

Summary

Datuk Ewon Benedick is the UPKO president, MP for Penampang, and Kadamaian state assemblyman, currently serving as Deputy Chief Minister III of Sabah following the 2025 state election. He served as Malaysia's Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development from December 2022 until November 2025, when he resigned over the federal government's stance on Sabah's constitutional right to 40% of federal revenue. His political identity is anchored in championing Sabah's rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the interests of the Kadazan Dusun Murut community.

Biography

Datuk Ewon Benedick (born 1 August 1983) is a Malaysian politician of Kadazan ethnicity from Kampung Penampang Proper, Sabah. He is the Member of Parliament for Penampang (since November 2022) and the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Kadamaian (since 2018), and has served as president of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) since January 2023 [1]. He was raised in Kota Belud district following the death of his father when he was six, and was educated at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Michael, Penampang, and Kinabalu Ibukota Matriculation College before graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (Software Development) from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (2002–2005) [2]. Ewon entered UPKO party work in 2006 as Ketua Komulakan, later serving as Kota Belud division head (2013–2022) before his first electoral victory in the 2018 Sabah state election for the Kadamaian seat [2]. He was appointed Sabah Minister of Rural Development under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal (2018–2020), defended his Kadamaian seat in the 2020 snap election, and in GE15 (November 2022) won the federal seat of Penampang with a majority of 14,410 votes, defeating two-term incumbent Darell Leiking of Parti Warisan [3]. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development in the Anwar Ibrahim cabinet [2]. Ewon resigned from the federal cabinet in November 2025 over the federal government's handling of Sabah's 40% revenue entitlement, citing the Attorney General's Chambers' position as inconsistent with Sabah's constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 [4]. Following the November 2025 Sabah state election, in which he retained the Kadamaian seat for a third term, he was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister III of Sabah and State Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship, and Transport [5]. In May 2026, UPKO applied to join the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition [3].

Known for

Ewon Benedick is known as the president of UPKO and the MP who recaptured Penampang for the party in GE15, overturning a 23,473-vote majority held by the previous incumbent. He is closely identified with the campaign to assert Sabah's constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, including resigning from the federal cabinet over the 40% revenue entitlement dispute. He also holds the Kadamaian state seat, making him one of very few Malaysian politicians simultaneously serving as both a federal MP and a state assemblyman.

Political positions

Ewon Benedick's defining political stance centres on Sabah's constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), particularly the state's entitlement to 40% of federal revenue derived from Sabah. He resigned from the federal cabinet in November 2025 citing the Attorney General's Chambers' position as incompatible with Sabah's founding agreements, stating: "The AGC's approach towards the 40% entitlement during my three years in the federal Cabinet has contradicted my stance as Upko president" [4]. On economic policy, during his tenure as Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister, he promoted micro-entrepreneur financing through agencies such as TEKUN Nasional, cooperative digitalisation, and rural entrepreneurship development with a specific focus on Sabah and Sarawak under his ministry's 'Look East Within the Country' policy [2]. He has also advocated for improved development project coordination in Sabah, proposing a dedicated monitoring unit to resolve delays caused by departmental overlaps and land acquisition issues [2]. Following UPKO's departure from Pakatan Harapan, he led the party's application to join GRS, positioning UPKO within a Sabah-only local party coalition framework [3].

Education

1. 1999–2000Attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Michael, Penampang.⛓
2. 2001–2002Attended Kinabalu Ibukota Matriculation College.⛓
3. 2002–2005Graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (Software Development) from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka.⛓

Before politics

1. 2006–2018Served as UPKO Ketua Komulakan (youth wing chief), building grassroots presence within the party.⛓
2. 2013–2022Served as UPKO Kota Belud division head.⛓

Political career

1. 2018Won the Kadamaian state seat in the 14th general election with a majority of 3,294 votes, making his electoral debut.⛓
2. 2018–2020Appointed Sabah State Minister of Rural Development under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, following UPKO's alignment with Warisan and Pakatan Harapan.⛓
3. 2018Elected UPKO vice president at the party's triennial delegates convention.⛓
4. September 2020Defended and retained the Kadamaian state seat in the snap 2020 Sabah state election with a majority of 3,459 votes, becoming UPKO's sole state assemblyman.⛓
5. November 2022Won the Penampang parliamentary seat in GE15 under a Pakatan Harapan ticket with a majority of 14,410 votes, defeating two-term incumbent Darell Leiking of Parti Warisan.⛓
6. 3 December 2022Appointed Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development in the Anwar Ibrahim cabinet.⛓
7. 14 January 2023Formally took over the presidency of UPKO from Wilfred Madius Tangau at the party's triennial delegates convention.⛓
8. 1 December 2024Elected Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairman for the 2024–2026 term, replacing Christina Liew.⛓
9. 8 November 2025Announced resignation from the federal cabinet citing the Attorney General's Chambers' position on Sabah's 40% revenue entitlement as inconsistent with the Malaysia Agreement 1963.⛓
10. 10 November 2025UPKO formally withdrew from Pakatan Harapan following Ewon's cabinet resignation.⛓
11. 29 November 2025Retained the Kadamaian state seat for a third term in the 17th Sabah State Election with a majority of 9,672 votes in an eight-cornered contest.⛓
12. 1 December 2025Sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister III of Sabah and State Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship, and Transport.⛓
13. 29 May 2026Led UPKO's formal application to join the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, handing the application to GRS chairman and Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.⛓

Election history

• 2025Kadamaian (Sabah State)Won⛓
• 2022Penampang (Parliament)Won57.3%⛓
• 2020Kadamaian (Sabah State)Won⛓
• 2018Kadamaian (Sabah State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsEwon won the Penampang parliamentary seat in GE15 with 29,066 votes (majority of 14,410), defeating two-term incumbent Darell Leiking who polled 14,656 votes. Total valid votes cast were 50,730 with a turnout of approximately 65.7–66.4%.⛓
• VerifiedFactsEwon retained the Kadamaian state seat in the November 2025 Sabah election with 11,977 votes and a majority of 9,672 in an eight-cornered contest. The constituency had 26,249 registered voters.⛓
• GovernmentPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim labelled Ewon's November 2025 cabinet resignation 'premature', saying the government was still reviewing Sabah's 40% revenue entitlement before deciding on next steps.⛓
• ExpertAccording to Wikipedia, political analysts described Ewon's resignation as a calculated move ahead of the 2025 Sabah state election, meant to reaffirm UPKO's image as a party serving Sabahan interests.⛓
• OppositionDuring GE15, independent Penampang candidate Richard Jimmy raised the concern that Ewon, as Kadamaian assemblyman, would have to split his time between two areas if elected as MP, potentially affecting service delivery to Penampang constituents.⛓