Wilson Ugak Kumbong

Summary

Datuk Wilson Ugak anak Kumbong is the PRS/GPS Member of Parliament for Hulu Rajang, Sarawak's largest constituency by land area, having held the seat continuously since 2013. He currently serves as Deputy Minister of Digital in the Anwar Ibrahim Unity Government, where he oversees Malaysia's AI governance agenda, including the pending AI Governance Bill and National Large Language Model initiative. Within PRS, he serves as Vice President, re-elected to the post at the party's 2025 triennial delegates conference.

Biography

Datuk Wilson Ugak anak Kumbong (born 24 April 1962) is a Malaysian politician from Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition [1]. He has served as Member of Parliament for Hulu Rajang since May 2013, having first won the seat at the 13th General Election (GE13) and subsequently retaining it in both 2018 and 2022 [1]. Hulu Rajang spans an area of over 34,000 km², making it the largest parliamentary constituency in Malaysia by land area, covering parts of the Kapit and Bintulu divisions [1]. Within the Unity Government formed after GE15, Wilson was appointed Deputy Minister of Digital in December 2023 under Minister Gobind Singh Deo, having previously served as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties from December 2022 to December 2023 [1]. Prior to his deputy ministerial appointments, he was appointed Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) by then Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in April 2020, becoming the first Chairman of NIOSH of Iban ethnicity [1]. Within PRS, Wilson holds the post of Vice President, a position he was re-elected to at the party's October 2025 triennial delegates conference [2]. In parliament, he has been an active voice on issues relating to Sarawak's rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), digital governance, and the regulation of artificial intelligence [3].

Known for

Wilson Ugak is defined politically by his role as Deputy Minister of Digital, where he has been the parliamentary face of Malaysia's AI governance framework, including advocating for expedited AI legislation and promoting the National Large Language Model initiative [4]. He is also noted as a consistent GPS representative championing greater parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak under MA63 [5]. He is the first person of Iban ethnicity to have chaired NIOSH [1].

Political positions

On digital policy, Wilson has publicly called for the expediting of AI-specific legislation, citing the growing risk of AI-related fraud and crime, and has spoken in parliament on the AI Governance Bill's risk-accountability framework [6]. He has championed the development of a National Large Language Model in Bahasa Malaysia to support digital sovereignty and reduce reliance on foreign technology providers [4]. On Sarawak's political standing, he has advocated in the Dewan Rakyat for Sabah and Sarawak collectively to be allocated one-third of parliamentary seats, arguing current representation falls short of the co-equal partner spirit of MA63 [5]. He has also highlighted the need to accelerate rural infrastructure development in Sarawak, particularly in interior areas, noting that Kalimantan's development as Indonesia's new capital creates economic spillover potential for the two Borneo states [4].

Political career

1. April 2020Appointed Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, becoming the first Chairman of NIOSH of Iban ethnicity.⛓
2. May 2013First elected as Member of Parliament for Hulu Rajang at GE13, contesting under the Barisan Nasional/PRS banner.⛓
3. May 2018Re-elected as MP for Hulu Rajang at GE14, defeating PKR's Abun Sui Anyit.⛓
4. 19 November 2022Re-elected as MP for Hulu Rajang at GE15 under the GPS banner, winning with a majority of 7,505 votes.⛓
5. December 2022Appointed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.⛓
6. December 2023Appointed Deputy Minister of Digital under Minister Gobind Singh Deo in the Unity Government, replacing his previous post in the Prime Minister's Department.⛓
7. October 2025Re-elected as Vice President of PRS at the party's triennial delegates conference, alongside new party president John Sikie Tayai.⛓

Election history

• 2022Hulu RajangWon⛓
• 2018Hulu RajangWon⛓
• 2013Hulu RajangWon⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentAs Deputy Minister of Digital, Wilson has articulated the Madani Government's position that AI legislation must be expedited to address fraud and misuse, and that Malaysia aims to be a leading AI hub in Southeast Asia by 2030 through the National AI Roadmap and related initiatives.⛓
• VerifiedFactsWilson Ugak has held the Hulu Rajang parliamentary seat across three consecutive general elections (2013, 2018, 2022). In GE15, he won with an official majority of 7,505 votes. He is the first person of Iban ethnicity to have chaired NIOSH. Hulu Rajang is the largest parliamentary constituency in Malaysia by land area, spanning over 34,000 km².⛓
• PublicMalay Mail reported in October 2022 that a local GPS youth official expressed hope that Wilson Ugak would succeed in his GE15 defence, describing him as having a good track record in serving the people of the constituency.⛓
• IndustryAt the ASEAN Digital Content Summit 2025, Wilson announced that Malaysia had won the bid to host SIGGRAPH Asia 2026, describing it as a milestone that would strengthen Malaysia's digital ecosystem and position ASEAN as a global creative powerhouse.⛓