Simon Sinang Bada · Politician profile · CERAP

Topics Politician AnalysisSimon Sinang Bada

Why this matters to you

As the assemblyman for Tebedu, Dr. Simon Sinang Bada is the direct representative for residents of a rural Bidayuh-majority border community whose livelihoods depend primarily on agriculture and cross-border trade. His participation in state budget debates directly affects the allocation of public funds for infrastructure, education, and health services in an area that — by its own description — still has development to catch up on relative to urban Sarawak (Source: malaymail.com). The Tebedu ICQS border crossing, which facilitates significant cross-border trade, also falls within his constituency, meaning his advocacy in the State Legislative Assembly can shape policies affecting border security, trade flows, and investment in the Serian Division.

Summary

Dr. Simon Sinang Bada is the PBB (GPS) assemblyman for Tebedu (N.21) in Sarawak, elected at the 12th Sarawak state election on 18 December 2021. He previously served as Political Secretary to the Sarawak Chief Minister before being fielded as a new face to succeed long-serving incumbent Michael Manyin Jawong. His constituency is a Bidayuh-majority, agricultural, and cross-border trade area on the Sarawak-West Kalimantan border.

Biography

Dr. Simon Sinang Bada (also styled as Dr. Simon Sinang @ Sinang Anak Bada) is a Malaysian politician and member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition. He represents the N.21 Tebedu constituency in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, having won the seat at the 12th Sarawak state election held on 18 December 2021 [1]. Before entering elected politics, he served as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Sarawak and as chairman of Saberkas Tebedu [2]. He was fielded as a new face by GPS for the Tebedu seat, replacing the long-serving incumbent Datuk Amar Michael Manyin Jawong, who retired after representing Tebedu under PBB from 1996 to 2021 [3]. Tebedu is a Bidayuh-majority constituency in the Serian Division of southwestern Sarawak, situated approximately 63 kilometres south of Kuching and serving as Malaysia's primary land border crossing with Indonesia [4]. The constituency had 12,040 registered voters at the time of the 2021 election [5]. GPS, including PBB, won a landslide in that election, securing 76 out of 82 state seats [2]. Simon has since attended state assembly sittings and participated in debates on the state Supply Bill, and has been identified as a guest of honour at community events such as the state-level Niti Daun Gawai parade [6].

Known for

Simon Sinang Bada is known as the first-term assemblyman for the Bidayuh-majority, border constituency of Tebedu, taking over a seat long held by PBB veteran Michael Manyin Jawong. He was a political appointee — serving as Political Secretary to the Sarawak Chief Minister — before transitioning to elected office in 2021. He has been publicly associated with community-level events in the Serian Division and participated in state-level budget debates.

Political positions

As a member of PBB and the GPS coalition, Simon Sinang Bada operates within the framework of Sarawak's governing coalition, which emphasises Sarawak's autonomy, bumiputera rights, and continued development. His constituency of Tebedu is a key border area whose primary economic activity is agriculture — including rice, cocoa, pepper, and oil palm — and which functions as Malaysia's main land crossing with Indonesia [4]. No independent or detailed policy statements on specific issues beyond community representation and state budget participation have been identified from allowlist sources.

References

Before politics

Before 2020Served as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Sarawak and as chairman of Saberkas Tebedu, attending community and government functions in the Serian Division.⛓
March 2021Identified in news reports as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister and Saberkas Tebedu chairman, attending a Community Policing Seminar in Tebedu.⛓

Political career

December 2021Named as GPS-PBB candidate for the Tebedu (N.21) seat in the 12th Sarawak state election, replacing retiring incumbent Datuk Amar Michael Manyin Jawong.⛓
18 December 2021Won the Tebedu seat at the 12th Sarawak state election held on 18 December 2021 under the GPS-PBB banner, as part of GPS's landslide win of 76 out of 82 seats.⛓
November 2023Participated in debates on the Sarawak Supply Bill 2024 as Tebedu assemblyman in the State Legislative Assembly.⛓

Election history

2021Tebedu (N.21)Won⛓

Stance evolution

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

2025PBB
- Gawai is a festival we all look forward to each year and it is not only celebrated by the Dayaks.
  Speaking as guest of honour at the state-level Niti Daun Gawai parade in Kuching, as reported by The Star on 31 August 2025. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

VerifiedFactsSimon Sinang Bada was a new face fielded by GPS for Tebedu in the 2021 Sarawak election, replacing PBB veteran Michael Manyin Jawong who represented the seat from 1996 until his retirement in 2021.⛓
VerifiedFactsBefore his election, Simon Sinang Bada served as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Sarawak and as Saberkas Tebedu chairman, placing him within the GPS governing structure prior to contesting the seat.⛓
VerifiedFactsTebedu constituency is a Bidayuh-majority border area with a population of 21,956 (2020) whose economy is dominated by agriculture (88.2% of economic activity) and which hosts Malaysia's primary land crossing with Indonesia.⛓
GovernmentGPS, under whose banner Simon Sinang Bada was elected, won 76 out of 82 Sarawak state seats in the 2021 election, affirming the coalition's dominant position in Sarawak's state legislature.⛓

Sources

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

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