Jennifer Lasimbang

Jennifer Lasimbang
ASDK MLA
State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation of Sabah
In office
16 May 2018 – 26 September 2020
Serving with Mohammad Mohamarin
GovernorJuhar Mahiruddin
Chief MinisterShafie Apdal
MinisterYusof Yacob
Preceded byHamisa Samat
(State Assistant Minister of Resources and Information Technology Development of Sabah)
Succeeded byRuddy Awah
(State Assistant Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Sabah)
ConstituencyMoyog
Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly
for Moyog
In office
9 May 2018 – 26 September 2020
Preceded byTerrence Siambun
(PR–PKR)
Succeeded byDarell Leiking (WARISAN)
Majority4,442 (2018)
Personal details
BornJenifer Lasimbang
(1974-09-29) 29 September 1974 (age 51)
Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia
CitizenshipMalaysian
PartyHeritage Party (WARISAN)
RelationsJannie Lasimbang (sister)
Adrian Lasimbang (brother)
Alma materUniversiti Utara Malaysia (BSIT)
Indiana University (MSc)
OccupationPolitician

Jenifer Lasimbang, also known as Jennifer Lasimbang, is a Malaysian indigenous rights advocate and former politician who served as the State Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation of Sabah in the Heritage Party (WARISAN) state administration under former Chief Minister Shafie Apdal and Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Moyog from May 2018 to September 2020. She is a member of WARISAN. She later returned to full-time civil society work and in 2024 became the executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Advocates of Sabah Fund (IPAS Fund).[1]

Early life and education

Jennifer was born in Penampang, Sabah, and is of ethnic Kadazan-Dusun descent. She hails from a political family, being the younger sibling of Jannie Lasimbang, a Democratic Action Party (DAP) politician encompassing as Chairperson of the Rural Development Corporation (KPD) of Sabah and MLA for Kapayan.[2][3] , and Adrian Lasimbang, a politician from the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) and former Member of the Dewan Negara. She and her elder sister, Jannie, simultaneously entered the Sabah State Legislative Assembly in 2018, winning the Moyog and Kapayan seats respectively.[4]

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Universiti Utara Malaysia and a Master of Science in Human–Computer Interaction from Indiana University (USA).[5] She has also served as a lecturer of IT and as a negotiator for international agencies such as UNDP and UNICEF.[6][7]

Early career

Before entering electoral politics, Lasimbang worked in community work and indigenous rights advocacy. According to her professional profile, she served as a consultant to UNICEF Malaysia (2014–2017) and as a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangkok (2008–2009).[5] She was also involved with Sabah-based indigenous organisations, including PACOS Trust, TONIBUNG (Tobpinai Ningkokoton Koburuon Kampung), and JOAS (Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia).[1]

Political career

2018 state election

At the 2018 Sabah state election held concurrently with Malaysia’s 14th general election, Lasimbang won the state seat of Moyog as a candidate of the Heritage Party (WARISAN).[4] During her term, she was appointed Assistant Minister of Education and Innovation of Sabah, working under the then-minister Yusof Yacob.[8][9] In this capacity, she was quoted in state media on education and schooling initiatives, including science and innovation outreach and school operations matters.[10][11]

Controversies

While serving as an assemblywoman and assistant minister, Jennifer appeared in several public issues, including statements regarding the opening of schools to undocumented children and several episodes of heated discussions on social media regarding office management and allegedly leaked messages; the press media reported these matters as low-profile issues that received local attention.[12][13]

2020 state election

The Warisan-led administration failed to be re-elected following the September 2020 Sabah state election. Lasimbang did not contest for re-election in Moyog, thus not returning to the assembly thereafter; the Moyog seat was subsequently held by Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking from 2020 onwards.[14]

Activism and later career

After leaving elected office, Lasimbang resumed full-time indigenous rights advocacy. In May 2024, she became the executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Advocates of Sabah Fund (IPAS Fund), focusing on movement-building, legal empowerment and philanthropy for indigenous communities in Sabah.[1] She has also spoken in international forums representing indigenous people on climate, including during COP27, where she addressed just transition and loss-and-damage issues affecting indigenous communities.[15]

In interviews and public statements after 2020, Jennifer stated that she had withdrawn from party politics around 2022 to focus on strengthening Indigenous networks in Malaysia (e.g. Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia, JOAS) as well as Asian/international-level advocacy and funding work.[16][17]

Election results

Sabah State Legislative Assembly[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
Year Constituency Candidate Votes Pct Opponent(s) Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2018 N20 Moyog Jennifer Lasimbang (WARISAN) 9,745 61.39% Donald Peter Mojuntin (UPKO) 5,303 33.40% 16,100 4,442 82.80%
Danim Aloysius Siap (STAR) 605 3.81%
Bandasan Dennis J Tunding (PCS) 222 1.40%

Honours

References

  1. ^ a b c Goh, Stella (10 July 2025). "Ex-Sabah assemblywoman Jenifer Lasimbang leaves politics for indigenous rights work". The Vibes. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Lima wakil rakyat Warisan digugurkan untuk beri laluan muka baru". Astro Awani (in Malay). 15 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Sabah allows non-Muslim houses of worship to reopen". Free Malaysia Today. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Double joy as sisters become lawmakers in Sabah". Malay Mail. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Dr Jenifer Lasimbang (Speaker profile)". Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). UiTM Sabah. 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  6. ^ "YB Jenifer Lasimbang". UiTM Sabah. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Jenifer Lasimbang – UNESCAP profile". UNESCAP. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference UMS2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference DE2018-IEB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "STEM needs to be made more fun — Jenifer". Daily Express. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  11. ^ "No need to close schools in Sabah". Daily Express. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  12. ^ "Moyog rep in another social media row over leaked message". Free Malaysia Today. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Sabah minister to investigate alleged attempts to convert students". International Christian Concern. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  14. ^ "SB.N.Moyog (2020)". UndiInfo (Malaysiakini). Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Indigenous Peoples' Pavilion at COP27: Just Transition & Loss and Damage". Cultural Survival. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Former Moyog rep leaves politics to focus on Indigenous advocacy". The Vibes. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Jenifer Lasimbang leaves politics to pursue global advocacy". BorneoVox. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 14 April 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout, including votes for third parties. Results before 1986 election unavailable.
  19. ^ "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
  20. ^ "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  21. ^ "my undi : Kawasan & Calon-Calon PRU13 : Keputusan PRU13 (Archived copy)". www.myundi.com.my. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13". Utusan Malaysia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  23. ^ "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE – 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  24. ^ "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  25. ^ "Senarai Penerima Darjah Kebesaran Bintang dan Pingat Sabah Tahun 2018" (PDF). www.sabah.gov.my.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Lasimbang