Maximus Ongkili
Encyclopedia
Datuk Seri
Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili (born 26 October 1953) is a Malaysian politician. He is the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation
and the member of the Parliament of Malaysia
for the seat of Kota Marudu
in Sabah
. He is a member of the United Sabah Party
(Malay
:Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS) in the governing Barisan Nasional
coalition.
Ongkili was born on 26 October 1953. He is married with two children. He has a Doctor of Philosophy
in Agricultural Economics, conferred by Australia
's Latrobe University. He is a Christian
.
Ongkili is the nephew of current Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah
Joseph Pairin Kitingan
and Jeffrey Kitingan
, who is a former vice president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat
.
coalition in 2002.
In 1991 he was imprisoned under the Internal Security Act
for 59 days. This was part of political arrests carried out between 1990 and 1991 to crack down on opposition leaders
in Sabah
, Malaysia, and their alleged plans to secede the state from Malaysia, allegedly known as Operation Talkak. Seven men were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA)
. (See also 1991 Sabah political arrests).
At the time of his arrest on January 3, 1991, Ongkili was a senior researcher and deputy chief director of IDS and electoral press consultant to then Chief Minister of Sabah
Joseph Pairin Kitingan
during the 1990 Sabah state and national elections. He was released unconditionally on March 2.
(at the time, the Kota Marudu seat was named Bandau
). He was appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department after the 2004 election
by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
. Ongkili was placed in charge of National Unity
, and headed the initiation of the Khidmat Negara conscription program.
Ongkili was also a member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly until the 2008 election
, when he stood aside from his Tandek seat.
As of 2008, Ongkili is Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation
.
|+ Parliament of Malaysia
: Kota Marudu
/Bandau
, Sabah
!|Year
!
!|Barisan Nasional
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Opposition
!|Votes
!|Pct
|-
|1995
|
| |Jeffrey Kitingan
| align="right" |5,851
| |35%
|
| | (PBS
)
| align="right" |10,716
| |63%
|-
|1999
|
| |Maijol Mahap
| align="right" |6,781
| |41%
|
| | (PBS
)
| align="right" |8,465
| |51%
|-
|2004
|
| | (PBS
)
| align="right" |10,457
| |56%
|
| |Anthony Biri Mandiau (IND
)
| align="right" |7,268
| |39%
|-
|2008
|
| | (PBS
)
| align="right" |12,028
| |54%
|
| |Anthony Biri Mandiau (PKR)
| align="right" |7,830
| |35%
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili (born 26 October 1953) is a Malaysian politician. He is the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Malaysia)
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation or MOSTI is the Malaysian ministry in charge of research, telecommunication and information technology. The current minister is Datuk Dr...
and 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 seat of Kota Marudu
Kota Marudu
Kota Marudu is a tiny district of Kudat Division, Malaysia with approximately 19.17 square kilometres of land and a population in 2000 of more than 58,841 people, made up mainly by Dusun , Rungus, Bajau, Orang Sungai, Suluk, and Chinese .Located in the northern region of Sabah, bordered by the...
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...
. He is a member of the United Sabah Party
Parti Bersatu Sabah
The Parti Bersatu Sabah is a political party in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was registered as a political party on March 5, 1985...
(Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
:Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS) in the governing 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...
coalition.
Ongkili was born on 26 October 1953. He is married with two children. He has a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Agricultural Economics, conferred by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Latrobe University. He is a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Ongkili is the nephew of current Deputy Chief Minister of 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...
Joseph Pairin Kitingan
Joseph Pairin Kitingan
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan , is a Malaysian politician and was the seventh Chief Minister of Sabah, a state in Malaysia. He held the post from April 1985 to March 1994. Currently, he is the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development of Sabah and has...
and Jeffrey Kitingan
Jeffrey Kitingan
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan is a politician from the state of Sabah in Malaysia. He was born in the town of Kota Marudu and graduated from Harvard University...
, who is a former vice president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat
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...
.
In the Opposition
Ongkili was originally an opposition politician, but joined the government when the PBS joined the Barisan NasionalBarisan 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...
coalition in 2002.
In 1991 he was imprisoned under the Internal Security Act
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
for 59 days. This was part of political arrests carried out between 1990 and 1991 to crack down on opposition leaders
Opposition (Malaysia)
The Opposition in Malaysia is a term used to describe political parties represented in the Parliament of Malaysia that are not in government either on their own or as part of a governing coalition. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in parliamentary systems, i.e...
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...
, Malaysia, and their alleged plans to secede the state from Malaysia, allegedly known as Operation Talkak. Seven men were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA)
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
. (See also 1991 Sabah political arrests).
At the time of his arrest on January 3, 1991, Ongkili was a senior researcher and deputy chief director of IDS and electoral press consultant to then Chief Minister of 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...
Joseph Pairin Kitingan
Joseph Pairin Kitingan
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan , is a Malaysian politician and was the seventh Chief Minister of Sabah, a state in Malaysia. He held the post from April 1985 to March 1994. Currently, he is the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development of Sabah and has...
during the 1990 Sabah state and national elections. He was released unconditionally on March 2.
In the Government
Ongkili entered Parliament in the 1995 electionMalaysian general election, 1995
General elections were held in Malaysia on 25 April 1995. The result was a victory for the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional, which won 162 of the 192 seats. Voter turnout was 68.3%.-Results:...
(at the time, the Kota Marudu seat was named Bandau
Bandau
Bandau is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the municipality Beetzendorf....
). He was appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department after the 2004 election
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
. Ongkili was placed in charge of National Unity
National Unity
National Unity Governments are coalition governments made up of all or most parties in a parliament. They are usually formed in times of war or severe political crisis.National Unity is the name of political parties in various countries -...
, and headed the initiation of the Khidmat Negara conscription program.
Ongkili was also a member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly until 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...
, when he stood aside from his Tandek seat.
As of 2008, Ongkili is Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Malaysia)
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation or MOSTI is the Malaysian ministry in charge of research, telecommunication and information technology. The current minister is Datuk Dr...
.
Election results
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"|+ Parliament of Malaysia
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
: Kota Marudu
Kota Marudu
Kota Marudu is a tiny district of Kudat Division, Malaysia with approximately 19.17 square kilometres of land and a population in 2000 of more than 58,841 people, made up mainly by Dusun , Rungus, Bajau, Orang Sungai, Suluk, and Chinese .Located in the northern region of Sabah, bordered by the...
/Bandau
Bandau
Bandau is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the municipality Beetzendorf....
, 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...
!|Year
!
!|Barisan Nasional
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Opposition
!|Votes
!|Pct
|-
|1995
Malaysian general election, 1995
General elections were held in Malaysia on 25 April 1995. The result was a victory for the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional, which won 162 of the 192 seats. Voter turnout was 68.3%.-Results:...
|
| |Jeffrey Kitingan
Jeffrey Kitingan
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan is a politician from the state of Sabah in Malaysia. He was born in the town of Kota Marudu and graduated from Harvard University...
| align="right" |5,851
| |35%
|
| | (PBS
Parti Bersatu Sabah
The Parti Bersatu Sabah is a political party in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was registered as a political party on March 5, 1985...
)
| align="right" |10,716
| |63%
|-
|1999
Malaysian general election, 1999
The 1999 Malaysian General Election was held on 29 November 1999 as stipulated by the laws of Malaysia for general elections. As expected, the Barisan Nasional coalition maintained its majority in parliament, and thus, its grip on the post of Prime Minister....
|
| |Maijol Mahap
| align="right" |6,781
| |41%
|
| | (PBS
Parti Bersatu Sabah
The Parti Bersatu Sabah is a political party in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was registered as a political party on March 5, 1985...
)
| align="right" |8,465
| |51%
|-
|2004
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
|
| | (PBS
Parti Bersatu Sabah
The Parti Bersatu Sabah is a political party in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was registered as a political party on March 5, 1985...
)
| align="right" |10,457
| |56%
|
| |Anthony Biri Mandiau (IND
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
)
| align="right" |7,268
| |39%
|-
|2008
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...
|
| | (PBS
Parti Bersatu Sabah
The Parti Bersatu Sabah is a political party in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was registered as a political party on March 5, 1985...
)
| align="right" |12,028
| |54%
|
| |Anthony Biri Mandiau (PKR)
| align="right" |7,830
| |35%