Martin Ben

Summary

Maclaine Ben @ Martin Ben (PBB/GPS) is the three-term incumbent ADUN for N22 Kedup in Sarawak, first elected in 2011. An MBA graduate and businessman, he is the son of former Sarawak assemblyman Michael Ben and now serves as PBB assistant secretary-general. His public record centres on rural development, Native Customary Rights land surveys, and Sarawak state autonomy issues within the Bidayuh community.

Biography

Maclaine Ben @ Martin Ben is the elected member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for N22 Kedup, representing Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition. He holds an MBA and is a businessman by background [1]. He is the son of former Sarawak assemblyman and assistant minister Michael Ben, who also served as Walikota of Kota Samarahan [1]. Prior to his election to the state assembly, Martin Ben served as PBB Youth Chief for the Kedup division [1]. He was first fielded as a new PBB candidate for the then N19 Kedup seat in the 2011 Sarawak state election [1]. He retained the seat in the 2016 state election under Barisan Nasional with a majority of 3,828 votes [2], and was again returned in the 2021 state election under the GPS-PBB banner [3]. Kedup is a Bidayuh-majority constituency in Sarawak, created in the 1996 redistribution [4]. In August 2022, Martin Ben was appointed as one of PBB's assistant secretaries-general by the party's supreme council [5]. He has been an active participant in discussions concerning Native Customary Rights (NCR) land surveys in Bidayuh areas and has advocated for ecotourism development in his constituency, including a tagang project on Sungai Kedup [5]. He also co-signed a 2021 joint statement by Sarawak and Sabah lawmakers urging the federal government to withdraw its appeal on the use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims [1].

Known for

Martin Ben is known as the incumbent PBB assemblyman for the Bidayuh-majority Kedup constituency, having held the seat across three consecutive state elections since 2011. He serves as an assistant secretary-general of PBB at the party level. He has been associated with grassroots rural development issues in his constituency, including water infrastructure, Native Customary Rights land surveys, and ecotourism.

Political positions

Martin Ben has consistently aligned with GPS and its predecessor BN coalition positions on Sarawak state autonomy and rural development. He has defended the existing JKKK (Village Security and Development Committees) system against the extension of the federal government's Village Community Management Council (MPKK) to Sarawak, calling on the state government to strengthen JKKK structures [5][6]. On water infrastructure, he has taken the position that opposition-led civil society projects undertaken without consultation with relevant state health authorities are not the responsibility of the state government to rectify [5][7]. He has supported NCR land surveys for the Bidayuh community and has promoted ecotourism development along Sungai Kedup as a livelihood initiative [5][8][9]. He was among the Sarawak and Sabah lawmakers who signed a joint statement in 2021 calling on the federal government to withdraw its appeal on the High Court ruling regarding the use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims, a matter of longstanding concern in East Malaysia [1][9].

Education

1. Pre-2008Obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Malaysiakini described him as an MBA graduate.⛓

Before politics

1. Pre-2008Worked as a businessman prior to his political career.⛓

Political career

1. January 2008Served as PBB Youth Chief for Kedup division. Stood as incumbent candidate for PBB Youth vice chairman (Bidayuh wing) but lost to Munded Banat in party elections.⛓
2. April 2011First contested and won the N19 Kedup seat in the 10th Sarawak state election under the BN-PBB banner.⛓
3. May 2016Successfully defended the Kedup seat in the 11th Sarawak state election under BN-PBB with a majority of 3,828 votes.⛓
4. November 2019Spoke in the Sarawak State Assembly budget debate calling on the state government to strengthen the JKKK system against the proposed extension of the federal MPKK to Sarawak.⛓
5. March 2021Co-signed a joint statement by 50 Sarawak and Sabah lawmakers urging the federal government to withdraw its appeal on the High Court ruling permitting non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah'.⛓
6. October 2021Participated in a briefing on NCR land surveys for the eight Bidayuh-majority constituencies, held with the Sarawak Land and Survey Department.⛓
7. December 2021Successfully defended the now-renumbered N22 Kedup seat in the 12th Sarawak state election under GPS-PBB.⛓
8. August 2022Appointed as one of PBB's assistant secretaries-general by the PBB supreme council.⛓

Election history

• 2021N22 KedupWon⛓
• 2016N19 KedupWon⛓
• 2011N19 KedupWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentMartin Ben has consistently held GPS/BN government positions, defending state authority over rural governance structures, opposing the extension of the federal MPKK system to Sarawak, and participating in state-led initiatives on NCR land surveys and rural ecotourism development.⛓
• OppositionMalay Mail reported that Sarawak DAP threatened to launch an online campaign against Martin Ben over his refusal to assist in resolving a water supply problem in Kampung Sangai Empani that arose from an Impian Malaysia project he attributed responsibility for to DAP.⛓
• VerifiedFactsMartin Ben has won Kedup in three consecutive Sarawak state elections (2011, 2016, 2021) under PBB/GPS. He holds an MBA and has a background in business. He is the son of former Sarawak assemblyman Michael Ben. He was appointed PBB assistant secretary-general in August 2022.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Malaysiakini reported in 2008 that Martin Ben was a businessman at that time. No further detail on specific business interests or directorships has been reported by allowlist sources.