Jamil Hamzah

Summary

Jamil Hamzah is the Warisan assemblyman for N66 Bugaya in Sabah, first elected in a by-election in November 2022 and re-elected in November 2025 with the highest winning majority in the 17th Sabah State Election. A Syariah lawyer by training and nephew of Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, he has prioritised rural infrastructure and religious education for his Semporna-area constituency while advocating for stronger anti-corruption enforcement at the state level.

Biography

Jamil Hamzah is a Sabah state assemblyman representing the N66 Bugaya constituency under Parti Warisan Sabah. He was 43 years old and practising as a Syariah lawyer when Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal — his maternal uncle — announced his candidacy for the 2022 Bugaya by-election on 3 November 2022 [1]. Jamil's mother, Datin Hamidah Apdal, is a sibling of Shafie Apdal [2]. Prior to entering electoral politics, he served as a Warisan Central Youth Exco member and the party's Semporna branch committee member [3]. The Bugaya by-election was held on 19 November 2022, called following the death of the incumbent Datin Manis Muka Mohd Darah in November 2020; the by-election had been delayed by the COVID-19 emergency proclamation [3]. Jamil won the seven-cornered contest, polling 11,382 votes with a majority of 6,629 [4]. He was sworn in as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Bugaya on 25 November 2022 [3]. In the 17th Sabah State Election held on 29 November 2025, Jamil successfully defended Bugaya in a nine-cornered contest, securing 13,414 votes with a majority of 10,046 — the highest majority recorded in that election [5]. Bugaya falls within the Semporna federal constituency in eastern Sabah. Jamil has publicly prioritised basic infrastructure — including electricity, clean water supply, road conditions and internet connectivity — as well as the establishment of religious primary and secondary schools in the Bugaya area [6].

Known for

Jamil Hamzah is known as the nephew of Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal who entered the Sabah State Assembly through the 2022 Bugaya by-election, having previously worked as a Syariah lawyer [1]. He recorded the highest winning majority — 10,046 votes — in the 17th Sabah State Election in November 2025 [7]. He has drawn public attention for calling on the state government and MACC to take stronger action on corruption, including suggesting the death penalty as a deterrent in April 2025 [7].

Political positions

Jamil Hamzah has consistently focused on rural development and basic services for the Bugaya constituency. Speaking ahead of the 2022 by-election, he identified electricity supply, clean water access, road quality and internet connectivity as priority infrastructure issues for village communities in Bugaya [6]. He also committed to establishing Islamic primary and secondary schools in the area, which he noted were then absent [6]. On anti-corruption, the NST reported in April 2025 that Jamil suggested execution could be a solution to combat corruption, citing MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki's characterisation of Sabah and Sarawak as 'gold mine states' for corruption [7]. In March 2026, Jamil co-signed a joint statement with several other Warisan assemblymen calling for MACC to provide updates on the Sabah mining scandal investigation [8]. As a Warisan member, he sits in the Sabah State Assembly as part of the opposition following GRS's formation of the state government after the 2025 election [4].

Before politics

1. Before 2022Practised as a Syariah lawyer; served as a Warisan Central Youth Exco member and Semporna branch committee member.⛓

Political career

1. 3 November 2022Announced as Warisan's candidate for the Bugaya by-election by party president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.⛓
2. 19 November 2022Won the 2022 Bugaya by-election in a seven-cornered contest, polling 11,382 votes with a majority of 6,629.⛓
3. 25 November 2022Sworn in as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Bugaya before the Sabah Assembly Speaker.⛓
4. April 2025As Bugaya assemblyman, suggested that the death penalty could be a solution to combat corruption in Sabah, citing MACC chief's characterisation of Sabah and Sarawak as high-corruption states.⛓
5. 29 November 2025Re-elected as Bugaya assemblyman in the 17th Sabah State Election with 13,414 votes and a majority of 10,046, the highest majority in the election.⛓
6. 27 March 2026Co-signed a joint statement with other Warisan assemblymen calling on MACC to provide updates on the Sabah mining scandal investigation.⛓

Election history

• 2025Bugaya (N66)Won67.6%⛓
• 2022Bugaya (N66)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsJamil Hamzah won the Bugaya seat in the 2022 by-election (11,382 votes; 6,629 majority) and in the 2025 state election (13,414 votes; 10,046 majority), the latter being the highest majority in the 17th Sabah State Election.⛓
• GovernmentWarisan sits in opposition in the Sabah State Assembly following the 2025 election, in which GRS formed the state government with the backing of independents and other parties despite no single party reaching a simple majority.⛓
• OppositionJamil Hamzah and other Warisan assemblymen called on MACC to give updates on the Sabah mining scandal probe, citing a lack of transparency since the detention of three individuals in November 2025.⛓
• PublicUtusan Malaysia reported in November 2022 that some local Warisan members in Bugaya were dissatisfied with the selection of Jamil Hamzah as candidate, expressing preference for a candidate with deeper local roots in the constituency.⛓