TopicsPolitician AnalysisJaujan Sambakong

Jaujan Sambakong

Party
WARISAN · Sabah Heritage Party
Constituency
Sulabayan
State
Sabah
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Why this matters to you

As the elected representative for Sulabayan — a coastal Semporna constituency with a population of approximately 33,882 — Jaujan directly shapes state-level decisions on housing, local governance, and marine resource management that affect the daily lives of fishermen, tourism-sector workers, and residents of Pulau Bum-Bum and surrounding islands. His advocacy for the Pulau Bum-Bum bridge matters to islanders who currently pay roughly RM20 per boat trip to reach Semporna town; without that bridge, transport costs remain a persistent burden on household budgets (Source: thestar.com.my). His calls for tighter resort licensing and tourism enforcement in Semporna are directly relevant to local workers and small businesses seeking a fair share of the area's growing tourism economy (Source: thestar.com.my).

Summary

Datuk Dr. Jaujan Sambakong is a WARISAN politician who has represented the Sulabayan state constituency in Sabah's Semporna district since 2013, making him a three-term assemblyman as of the 2025 Sabah state election. He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah III and State Minister of Housing and Local Government under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal between 2018 and 2020. A senior WARISAN vice president, he is known for constituency-level advocacy on infrastructure, tourism regulation, and coastal community welfare in southeastern Sabah.

Biography

Datuk Dr. Jaujan bin Sambakong is a Malaysian politician and a member of Parti Warisan (WARISAN). He has served as the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Sulabayan since May 2013 [1]. Sulabayan is a state constituency located in the Semporna district of southeastern Sabah, with a population of approximately 33,882 as of 2020 [1]. He is approximately 67 years old as of April 2026 [2]. Prior to joining WARISAN, Jaujan was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Sabah, serving as the deputy chief of the UMNO Semporna division. In June 2016, he resigned from UMNO in solidarity with then-UMNO vice president Mohd Shafie Apdal, and subsequently crossed the Sabah State Legislative Assembly floor as an opposition-friendly Independent [3]. He became a founding member of WARISAN when the party was formed in October 2016. Following WARISAN's victory in the 2018 Sabah state election, he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah III and State Minister of Housing and Local Government, serving from May 2018 until the collapse of the WARISAN state administration in September 2020 [1]. He retained the Sulabayan seat in the September 2020 snap election and again in the November 2025 state election, where he faced seven contenders [4]. Within WARISAN, he holds the position of vice president [5]. He has been a vocal advocate in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly on issues including local government, tourism regulation, infrastructure development, and the welfare of coastal communities in Semporna.

Known for

Jaujan Sambakong is principally known as a long-serving WARISAN assemblyman for Sulabayan and as a former Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah III who oversaw the Housing and Local Government portfolio from 2018 to 2020 [1]. He is closely associated with WARISAN president Shafie Apdal, having resigned from UMNO in 2016 in solidarity with Shafie and remaining one of the party's senior vice presidents [6]. He has consistently raised constituency-level infrastructure and environmental issues in the Sabah State Assembly, including the long-stalled Pulau Bum-Bum bridge and tourism regulation in Semporna [2].

Political positions

Jaujan has consistently positioned Warisan as open to cross-party cooperation for the benefit of Sabah, publicly stating that the party has 'nothing against Umno' and welcoming potential partnerships for Sabah's sake [5][7]. On the Sabah identity card issue, he has argued that a Sabah IC is not a standalone solution to the migrant problem and has called for native courts to be engaged in verifying citizenship applicants [8][9]. On the Bajau Laut community, he stated that enforcement against illegal structures in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park is justifiable under gazetted law, but publicly objected to the burning of demolished homes, saying such acts gave Malaysia a negative international image [8][10]. On local economic development, he has urged state and federal governments to invest in the seaweed downstream industry in Semporna [2][11] and called for stricter licensing and enforcement over resort operators to protect Semporna's tourist appeal and generate revenue for the local community [2][12]. On infrastructure, he has repeatedly raised in the Sabah State Assembly the case for reviving the long-delayed Pulau Bum-Bum bridge, noting that RM25 million was approved in 2012 for preliminary works on the proposed 1.4km, RM430 million bridge, which was never completed [2][13].

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]thestar.com.my
  3. [3]malaysiakini.com
  4. [4]bernama.com; nst.com.my
  5. [5]malaymail.com
  6. [6]malaysiakini.com; malaymail.com
  7. [7]May 2023
  8. [8]freemalaysiatoday.com
  9. [9]April 2022
  10. [10]June 2024
  11. [11]April 2024
  12. [12]November 2024
  13. [13]December 2025

Political career

  1. May 2013First elected as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Sulabayan under UMNO/Barisan Nasional.⛓
  2. June 2016Resigned from UMNO Sabah, citing solidarity with then-UMNO vice president Mohd Shafie Apdal. He was serving as Deputy Chief of UMNO Semporna division at the time.⛓
  3. August 2016Officially crossed the floor of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly to sit as an opposition-friendly Independent member.⛓
  4. October 2016Became a founding member of Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) upon its formation.⛓
  5. May 2018Re-elected as Sulabayan assemblyman under WARISAN; subsequently appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah III and State Minister of Housing and Local Government in the WARISAN state administration under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal.⛓
  6. January 2020As State Minister of Housing and Local Government, oversaw the signing of an MOU between the Sabah Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to improve service delivery and tax collection coordination.⛓
  7. September 2020The WARISAN state administration collapsed following the Sabah snap election. Jaujan retained the Sulabayan seat for WARISAN and moved into opposition.⛓
  8. November 2025Successfully defended the Sulabayan seat for WARISAN in the 17th Sabah State Election, facing seven contenders including candidates from STAR and Perikatan Nasional.⛓

Election history

  • 2025SulabayanWon⛓
  • 2020SulabayanWon⛓
  • 2018SulabayanWon⛓
  • 2013SulabayanWon⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2026WARISAN
    • I am very much alive, well and healthy. Thank you for your concern.

      Responding to reporters after a fake obituary of him circulated on social media in April 2026. · Source

    • I am not active on social media, but I am busy on the ground.

      Explaining his low social media presence while responding to fake death rumours, April 2026. · Source

  2. 2025WARISAN
    • The Pulau Bum-Bum bridge was approved, preliminary works were carried out, but it was later cancelled. It was announced again, and cancelled again, and until today the people of Pulau Bum-Bum are still waiting.

      Debating the Sabah Budget 2026 in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, December 2025. · Source

  3. 2024WARISAN
    • We need more enforcement officers, and they need to be well-informed, especially regarding business licences for island resorts.

      Speaking in the Sabah Legislative Assembly on the need for better regulation of resort licensing in Semporna, November 2024. · Source

  4. 2023WARISAN
    • We have nothing against Umno.

      Speaking to reporters at the Sabah UMNO Hari Raya open house, signalling Warisan's openness to future political cooperation with UMNO. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsJaujan has held the Sulabayan seat across four consecutive elections (2013 under UMNO, 2018, 2020, and 2025 under WARISAN). He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah III and State Minister of Housing and Local Government from May 2018 to September 2020. He is currently a vice president of WARISAN.⛓
  • OppositionSAPP Youth chief Jamain Sarudin publicly criticised Jaujan for what he characterised as a lack of understanding of the Sabah identity card issue, suggesting the matter should have been raised in the state assembly rather than through public statements.⛓
  • GovernmentDuring his tenure as State Minister of Housing and Local Government (2018–2020), Jaujan oversaw the MOU between the ministry and IRB to improve service delivery for local authorities, and deferred Sandakan's city status upgrade, citing the need to meet population and development criteria before elevation.⛓
  • PublicResidents of Pulau Bum-Bum island, who continue to bear daily boat transport costs of approximately RM20 per trip to Semporna town, remain waiting for the long-promised Pulau Bum-Bum bridge that Jaujan has repeatedly championed in the state assembly.⛓
  • AffectedJaujan commented on the 2024 demolition of Bajau Laut (Pala'u) homes in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, stating that enforcement was permissible under gazetted law but that burning the demolished structures projected a negative image of Malaysia internationally.⛓

Sources

Every URL the AI used to draft this profile, for editor and reader verification.

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