Junz Wong Hong Jun

Summary

Junz Wong (Wong Hong Jun) is a WARISAN Vice President and three-term Sabah State Legislative Assembly Member for Tanjung Aru. A founding member of WARISAN after leaving DAP in 2016, he served as Sabah's Agriculture and Food Industries Minister under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal from 2018 to 2020. He retained Tanjung Aru in the 2025 Sabah state election with a 3,588-vote majority, continuing as an opposition assemblyman under the GRS-led state government.

Biography

Wong Hong Jun, commonly known as Junz Wong, is a Malaysian politician and a Vice President of the Heritage Party (WARISAN). He has served as the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Tanjung Aru since May 2018 [1]. He previously served as MLA for Likas from May 2013 to May 2018, winning the seat under the Democratic Action Party (DAP) banner [1]. In October 2016, Wong resigned as Sabah DAP secretary to become a founding member of WARISAN under Shafie Apdal [2]. Following WARISAN's victory in the 2018 Sabah state election, Wong was appointed State Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries of Sabah, serving in that role until the collapse of the WARISAN administration in September 2020 [1]. At the time of his ministerial appointment in May 2018, Wong was 38 years old [3]. He retained the Tanjung Aru seat in the September 2020 state election with a 3,147-vote majority, when WARISAN and Pakatan Harapan had an electoral pact [4]. In the November 2025 Sabah state election, Wong successfully defended Tanjung Aru for a third consecutive term, winning with 6,120 votes and a 3,588-vote majority — this time without Pakatan Harapan's backing [4]. He has described his political career as spanning 18 years as of 2025 [4]. Wong holds the title of Datuk.

Known for

Junz Wong is known as a founding member and Vice President of WARISAN who transitioned from DAP after over a decade in opposition politics, becoming one of the principal Chinese-community voices within WARISAN. He served as Sabah's Agriculture and Food Industries Minister in the 2018–2020 WARISAN state government. He has consistently championed the rights of longstanding coastal and semi-urban communities in and around Tanjung Aru, particularly on issues of housing security and access to basic utilities.

Political positions

Wong has consistently advocated for the welfare of established semi-urban communities in Tanjung Aru, publicly pledging to halt the eviction of long-term residents from the Rumah Pangsa Tanjung Aru low-cost flats and to rebuild the housing block with more units for local families [4]. He has opposed any redevelopment plans that would displace communities without providing proper alternatives, arguing that residents should be included as stakeholders in any future development [4]. On economic policy, Wong has questioned what he described as 'preferential treatment' for certain foreign companies operating in Sabah, raising concerns about disparities in electricity rates that he argued disadvantaged local businesses [3]. More broadly, Wong has framed his political outlook around Sabah-centric interests, arguing that Sabahans should prioritise rebuilding their state rather than being drawn into federal political manoeuvring [3].

Political career

1. May 2013Elected MLA for Likas under the DAP banner at the 2013 Sabah state election, which was held concurrently with the 13th Malaysian general election.⛓
2. October 2016Resigned as Sabah DAP secretary along with six other Sabah DAP state committee members, announcing his departure to join a yet-unnamed local-based political platform — which became WARISAN.⛓
3. October 2016Became a founding member of Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) under Shafie Apdal, which was formally registered on 17 October 2016.⛓
4. May 2018Won the Tanjung Aru state seat under WARISAN at the 2018 Sabah state election, gaining more than 50 per cent of votes cast.⛓
5. May 2018Appointed State Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries of Sabah in the WARISAN-led Cabinet under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, aged 38 — one of two full ministers under 40 in the Cabinet.⛓
6. September 2020Retained the Tanjung Aru seat at the snap 2020 Sabah state election with a 3,147-vote majority, when WARISAN and Pakatan Harapan had an electoral pact. The WARISAN-led administration lost the election overall, ending his ministerial role.⛓
7. November 2025Won the Tanjung Aru seat for a third consecutive term at the 2025 Sabah state election, receiving 6,120 votes with a 3,588-vote majority, defeating DAP deputy chairman Chan Foong Hin among eight other candidates, and without Pakatan Harapan's electoral backing.⛓

Election history

• 2025Tanjung AruWon⛓
• 2020Tanjung AruWon⛓
• 2018Tanjung AruWon⛓
• 2013LikasWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsJunz Wong won the Tanjung Aru seat in 2025 with 6,120 votes and a 3,588-vote majority, defeating DAP's Chan Foong Hin (2,532 votes) in a nine-cornered contest. This was his third consecutive win in Tanjung Aru and his fourth overall state assembly win.⛓
• OppositionDAP deployed its two top Sabah leaders — party chief Phoong Jin Zhe (in Likas) and deputy chairman Chan Foong Hin (in Tanjung Aru) — specifically to challenge Wong, reflecting the party's assessment of him as a principal rival for Chinese-community votes in the Kota Kinabalu urban belt.⛓
• GovernmentThe Election Commission, through its deputy chairman Azmi Sharom, denied Wong's claims of targeted surveillance during the 2025 Sabah election campaign, saying Warisan should lodge a formal complaint with evidence to support its allegations.⛓
• PublicResidents of Pulau Gaya within the Tanjung Aru constituency, who had faced disruptions to water and electricity, cited access to basic utilities and land tenure security as key concerns linked to their representative, with Wong having worked on laying metered water pipes for island communities.⛓
• AffectedResidents of Rumah Pangsa Tanjung Aru low-cost flats, some of whom have lived there for 30 to 40 years, have faced utility cut-offs and eviction pressure; approximately 45 families were reported to be living without water and electricity as of the 2025 election period.⛓