TopicsPolitician AnalysisSamad Jambri

Samad Jambri

Party
GAGASAN · Sabah People's Ideas Party
Coalition
GRS
Constituency
Labuk
State
Sabah
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Why this matters to you

As State Assistant Minister of Rural Development, Samad Jambri directly influences the allocation of rural infrastructure funding and development programmes affecting residents of Labuk and broader rural Sabah — including road access, utilities, and economic uplift schemes for communities in remote areas (Source: bernama.com; malaymail.com). Constituents in the Labuk seat, situated approximately 90 km from Sandakan in the Beluran parliamentary area, rely on decisions made through his ministry portfolio for basic infrastructure such as rural electrification and road connectivity (Source: bernama.com). Voters in Labuk returned him to office at both the 2020 and 2025 state elections, giving him continued influence over how state rural development resources are directed to their area (Source: freemalaysiatoday.com).

Summary

Datuk Samad bin Jambri (born 10 September 1973) is the GAGASAN assemblyman for Labuk, Sabah, first elected in 2020 under the PN-Bersatu banner and re-elected in 2025 under GRS. He has served as State Assistant Minister of Rural Development in the GRS administration continuously since October 2020, a role he retained following the 17th Sabah State Election. A former Sabah BERSATU member, he joined GAGASAN in February 2023 as part of a broader realignment of Sabah's ruling coalition.

Biography

Datuk Samad bin Jambri (born 10 September 1973) is a Malaysian politician of Kadazan-Dusun descent serving as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Labuk since September 2020 [1]. He is a member of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), a component party of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition [1]. Labuk is located approximately 90 km from Sandakan and falls under the Beluran parliamentary constituency, together with the Sugut and Telupid state seats [2]. Prior to entering the legislature, Samad served as political secretary to then-Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee [2]. He first won the Labuk seat at the 16th Sabah State Election in September 2020, contesting under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner as a Sabah BERSATU member, defeating four other candidates with a majority of 1,208 votes [3]. Following the dissolution of Sabah BERSATU's leadership on 10 December 2022, Samad left the party and formally joined GAGASAN on 5 February 2023 [1]. He was re-elected at the 17th Sabah State Election on 29 November 2025, this time standing under the GRS banner, securing 2,885 votes with a majority of 979 [3]. He has held the position of State Assistant Minister of Rural Development continuously since October 2020, serving under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, and was reappointed to the same portfolio in December 2025 [4]. He holds the Datuk title, conferred as Commander of the Order of Kinabalu [1].

Known for

Samad Jambri is known as the MLA for Labuk and a twice-serving State Assistant Minister of Rural Development in the GRS-led Sabah government under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor [1]. His tenure spans the 16th and 17th Sabah legislative assemblies, making him one of a handful of GRS assemblymen to hold an executive portfolio in both terms [2]. He is also noted as part of the cohort of former Sabah BERSATU assemblymen who left the party in December 2022 and subsequently joined GAGASAN, contributing to a significant realignment of Sabah's ruling coalition [5].

Political positions

In the lead-up to the 2020 Sabah state election, Samad stated that resolving constituency development issues and upgrading the socio-economic status of the people were his primary focus, with particular emphasis on strengthening economic resources before pursuing broader development goals [2]. As Assistant Rural Development Minister, he responded in the Sabah State Assembly in November 2022 to a suggestion on energy access, indicating that the state government had taken note of proposals to deploy solar-powered lighting in rural and hard-to-reach areas without electricity supply [6]. His stated positions centre on rural economic improvement and targeted development planning for remote constituencies. No documented positions on national-level legislative issues were found in allowlist sources at the time of profiling.

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]bernama.com
  3. [3]freemalaysiatoday.com
  4. [4]bernama.com; malaymail.com
  5. [5]sinardaily.my
  6. [6]thestar.com.my

Before politics

  1. Before September 2020Served as political secretary to Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee prior to contesting the Labuk state seat.⛓

Political career

  1. 26 September 2020Won the Labuk seat at the 16th Sabah State Election under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner as a Sabah BERSATU member, with 2,701 votes and a majority of 1,208.⛓
  2. October 2020Appointed State Assistant Minister of Rural Development of Sabah in the GRS state administration under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.⛓
  3. 10 December 2022Left Sabah BERSATU as part of the broader departure of the party's Sabah leadership from Perikatan Nasional.⛓
  4. 5 February 2023Formally joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), a component party of the GRS coalition.⛓
  5. 29 November 2025Re-elected MLA for Labuk at the 17th Sabah State Election under the GRS banner, securing 2,885 votes with a majority of 979 in an eight-cornered contest.⛓
  6. 3 December 2025Reappointed State Assistant Minister of Rural Development in the new GRS state government under Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, sworn in alongside 16 other assistant ministers.⛓

Election history

  • 2025Labuk (N49)Won⛓
  • 2020Labuk (N49)Won⛓

Stance evolution

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

  1. 2020GAGASAN
    • It will be difficult for us to change the development landscape here if the community's economic resources are not improved; hence our main focus is to ensure the economic sector is upgraded first.

      Samad speaking to Bernama after a constituency gathering ahead of the 16th Sabah State Election, outlining his campaign priorities for Labuk. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsSamad Jambri won the Labuk seat at both the 2020 and 2025 Sabah state elections, and has held the State Assistant Minister of Rural Development post continuously since October 2020.⛓
  • GovernmentGRS fielded Samad Jambri as its candidate for Labuk in the 2025 state election and reappointed him as State Assistant Minister of Rural Development following GRS's return to power.⛓
  • VerifiedFactsSinar Daily listed Samad Jambri among 34 Sabah assemblymen who left their parties after the 16th state election, as part of the wave of party-switching that reshaped the GRS coalition.⛓

Sources

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

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