Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Kurup is a Malaysian politician. He is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia

Parliament of Malaysia

The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....

 for the Pensiangan

Pensiangan

Pensiangan is a small town and also a parliamentary constituency in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. It is located in the Interior Division and is the capital of the district of Pensiangan. It is one of the most rural towns in Sabah located deep in the jungles of Borneo, and about 115 kilometres...

 constituency in Sabah

Sabah

Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...

, representing the United Sabah People's Party

Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah

Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS is a minor political party based in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was formed by disaffected members of the Parti Bersatu Sabah on 11 March 1994. On 10 June 1994, it was officially accepted as one of the component parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition...

 (PBRS). He is a Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environment in the Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...

 government.

Kurup was elected unopposed to Parliament in the 2008 election

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

, replacing PBRS' Secretary-General Bernard Maraat. His election had been contested by the People's Justice Party

Parti Keadilan Rakyat

The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...

, but the Federal Court upheld his election after the Election Court had earlier overturned it and ordered a by-election.

Kurup is currently the President of the PBRS. Before entering federal politics, he was active in Sabah state politics, including serving as a minister in the Sabah government.