Juil Nuatim

Summary

Datuk Juil Nuatim (born 7 November 1960) is the Sabah State Legislative Assembly member for Limbahau, a seat he has held since September 2020, and has served as State Assistant Minister of Rural Development under the GRS administration since December 2025. He is currently a member of PBS within the GRS coalition, having previously held membership in WARISAN, KDM (which he co-founded), and GRS as a direct member — a trajectory that reflects the fluid realignments of Sabah state politics in the post-2020 period. He was re-elected in November 2025 in a nine-way contest, and his public policy focus centres on water supply, electricity infrastructure, and rural road development in the Papar district.

Biography

Datuk Juil Nuatim (born 7 November 1960) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Limbahau since September 2020 [1]. He currently holds the position of State Assistant Minister of Rural Development of Sabah under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and Minister Rubin Balang, a role he assumed in December 2025 [1]. He is a member of the United Sabah Party (PBS), a component party of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition [1]. Juil was first elected to the Limbahau seat in the 2020 Sabah state election standing on a Parti Warisan Sabah ticket, winning with a majority of 2,523 votes [2]. On 28 December 2021, he left WARISAN and became an independent, and on 28 January 2022, together with Melalap assemblyman Peter Anthony, he co-founded the Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM), serving as its first and founding deputy president [1]. He resigned from KDM on 21 May 2023 and was accepted as a direct member of GRS two days later on 23 May 2023 [2]. He subsequently joined PBS, one of GRS's component parties [1]. In the 2025 Sabah state election held on 29 November 2025, Juil retained the Limbahau seat in a nine-way contest under the GRS-PBS banner [3]. His stated constituency priorities include resolving chronic water supply shortfalls, improving electricity infrastructure, and rural road connectivity in the Papar district [3].

Known for

Juil Nuatim is known for his multiple party affiliations across the post-2020 Sabah political landscape, having moved from WARISAN to KDM to GRS direct membership before joining PBS, all while retaining the Limbahau seat. He was a co-founder and founding deputy president of the Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM), a party oriented towards Kadazan-Dusun and Murut community interests [1]. He is also associated with advocating for the Papar Dam as a solution to Sabah's water supply deficit, and for basic utilities and rural road development in the Limbahau constituency [3].

Political positions

Juil Nuatim has consistently positioned himself in support of the GRS-led Sabah state government. Following his departure from WARISAN, he stated his priority was bringing development to the Limbahau constituency, citing the need for a party that could deliver progress at the state level [2]. On water supply, he publicly identified a gap between daily demand of approximately 70 million litres and current supply of 40 million litres in the Papar area, and expressed support for a new treatment plant to close the shortfall [3]. He has also supported the proposed Papar Dam as a solution to the state's broader water supply problems [3][4]. His co-founding of KDM was framed around uniting the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut (KDMR) community under a GRS-aligned platform, although he subsequently left that party [1]. No publicly reported stances on federal legislation or national policy issues were found from allowlist sources.

Political career

1. September 2020Won the Limbahau seat in the 2020 Sabah state election standing on a Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) ticket, with a majority of 2,523 votes. Limbahau was one of 13 newly created state seats at that election.⛓
2. 28 December 2021Left Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) together with Melalap assemblyman Peter Anthony, becoming an independent assemblyman.⛓
3. 28 January 2022Co-founded the Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM) together with Peter Anthony; served as the party's first and founding deputy president, representing the non-Muslim Bumiputera quota.⛓
4. 21 May 2023Resigned from KDM, announcing he would be an independent assemblyman while continuing to support Chief Minister Hajiji Noor's government.⛓
5. 23 May 2023Accepted as a direct member of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), submitting his membership application to GRS chairman and Chief Minister Hajiji Noor; the handover was witnessed by STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan and PBS deputy president Joachim Gunsalam.⛓
6. 29 November 2025Retained the Limbahau seat in the 2025 Sabah state election (17th Sabah General Election) in a nine-way contest, standing under the GRS-PBS banner.⛓
7. December 2025Appointed State Assistant Minister of Rural Development of Sabah in the GRS administration under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and Minister Rubin Balang.⛓

Election history

• 2025LimbahauWon⛓
• 2020LimbahauWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentChief Minister Hajiji Noor acknowledged Juil's departure from KDM and said it was up to Juil to decide which party to join, stating: "If it's true that he is leaving PKDM, I hope he will choose a direction or party that can help him continue his political career." GRS formally accepted Juil as a direct coalition member on 23 May 2023.⛓
• OppositionKDM president Peter Anthony said he was baffled by Juil's decision to quit the party, stating Juil's reasons for wanting to "support the government" did not make sense as KDM had already declared its support for any government of the day, and that Juil had never discussed the matter with the party.⛓
• VerifiedFactsJuil Nuatim has held the Limbahau seat continuously since September 2020, across three party affiliations (WARISAN, KDM, and PBS/GRS). He is the only individual to have represented Limbahau since the seat's creation in 2020. He retained the seat in the November 2025 election in a nine-way contest and was appointed State Assistant Minister of Rural Development in December 2025.⛓