Jenifer Lasimbang is done with politics. The former Moyog assemblyman says she has moved on, and a return to the political arena isn’t in the cards. At least, not for now.
“I officially left in 2022 and have been working with civil society organisations (CSOs) until today,” she says. Her focus now? Indigenous advocacy and global community development.
Lasimbang, who served as Sabah’s Assistant Education and Innovation Minister, is taking on bigger roles outside the political sphere.
“I am already working with an Asian-level funding mechanism and may rejoin a United Nations agency next,” she adds.
One of the key reasons for her departure from politics was a request to strengthen Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS), a national Indigenous network.
“I was requested to rebuild JOAS, which needed me to sacrifice my political party and platform to maintain my impartiality,” she explains.
Lasimbang made her political debut with PKR before joining Warisan, where she won the Moyog seat in 2018.
While her work as an assemblyman focused on education and innovation, she was already deeply involved in community advocacy long before politics came into play.
Before stepping into the political arena, Lasimbang played a major role in Indigenous rights and community development through organisations like PACOS Trust, where she worked on land rights, cultural preservation, and socio-economic programs.
She also held leadership roles in JOAS and, more recently, the Indigenous Peoples of Asia Solidarity Fund (IPAS), where she has been executive director since May 2024.
Her advocacy experience stretches beyond Malaysia. Between 2014 and 2017, she worked as a consultant for UNICEF Malaysia, focusing on children’s rights and community development.
From 2008 to 2009, she was part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangkok, Thailand, contributing to Indigenous empowerment programs across Asia.
At this point, local politics may not be her top priority.
“I am already at world-level politics. I joined politics because I wanted to do community development, and I will continue to do so in any platform,” she says.
Lasimbang may be out of politics, but she isn’t slowing down. If anything, she’s taking her fight for Indigenous rights to a bigger stage. – March 11, 2025
