In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 2 December 1955
- Birthplace
- Kampung Dato, Kuala Lawas, Sarawak
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Representing Lawas since 1987 and leading Sarawak’s trade, investment and natural-resource portfolios
- Full name
- Awang Tengah bin Ali Hasan
- State seat
- Bukit Sari, formerly Lawas, since 1987
- State office
- Deputy Premier, since 2017
- Party office
- PBB Senior Vice President
- Current portfolios
- International Trade, Industry and Investment; Natural Resources and Urban Development
Why this life matters
Awang Tengah’s four decades in elected office connect northern Sarawak development, PBB succession and the state’s industrial and land-policy agenda.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Kuala Lawas
Born in Kampung Dato in northern Sarawak and later studied at the National University of Malaysia.
Served in district administration
Worked as an assistant district officer in Dalat after completing university studies.
Won the Lawas state seat
Entered the Sarawak assembly and began an uninterrupted elected career in the state’s far north.
Entered the state executive
Became an assistant minister and began a long sequence of responsibilities in the Sarawak cabinet.
Took full ministerial office
Assumed portfolios involving resource planning and public utilities after years as an assistant minister.
Became deputy chief minister
Joined Abang Johari Openg’s senior leadership and became a PBB deputy president.
Became a founding GPS leader
PBB and three partner parties left BN and organised the Sarawak-based governing coalition.
Continued as deputy premier
Retained responsibility for international trade and investment and served as second minister for natural resources and urban development.
From Lawas to public administration
Awang Tengah Ali Hasan was born in Kampung Dato, Kuala Lawas, in 1955. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and worked briefly in education and district administration.
His home district lies near Sarawak’s borders with Brunei and Sabah, far from the state capital. That geography has shaped a political career concerned with roads, land administration, utilities, investment and the development of Sarawak’s northern region.
An uninterrupted electoral base
Awang Tengah first won election to the Sarawak assembly in 1987 for Lawas. Boundary changes later renamed the constituency Bukit Sari, but he continued to represent the same northern political base through successive state elections.
Longevity in the seat made him a central PBB figure outside the Kuching leadership circle. He built influence through the Lawas branch and the state cabinet while remaining tied to a constituency where federal and state infrastructure decisions are especially visible.
Resources, land and industrial policy
After entering the state executive as an assistant minister in 1990, Awang Tengah accumulated portfolios involving rural and land development, industrial development, public utilities and resource planning. He became a full minister in 2004.
These subjects sit at the centre of Sarawak’s development debates. Industrial estates and foreign investment promise jobs and revenue, while land use, forestry and urban expansion also raise questions about customary rights, environmental protection and local consultation.
Deputy premiership and GPS
Abang Johari appointed Awang Tengah deputy chief minister in 2017. When PBB, SUPP, PRS and PDP left BN the next year, he became one of the senior leaders of the new GPS coalition and continued as a deputy premier after the office was restyled in 2022.
His current responsibilities combine international trade, industry and investment with a second-minister role in natural resources and urban development. That combination places him near decisions about the industries Sarawak seeks and the land and planning systems that support them.
Why Awang Tengah Ali Hasan matters
Awang Tengah is one of Sarawak’s longest continuously serving assembly members. His progression from district administration to minister and deputy premier provides a view of how PBB developed leaders through constituency service and extended cabinet apprenticeship.
He also represents the northern dimension of GPS government. Reading his career alongside those of Abang Johari, Douglas Uggah and Sim Kui Hian shows how the coalition distributes senior office across regions, communities and policy specialisms.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Awang Tengah Ali Hasan
- Who is Awang Tengah Ali Hasan?
- Awang Tengah Ali Hasan is a deputy Premier of Sarawak and PBB Senior Vice President. Awang Tengah’s four decades in elected office connect northern Sarawak development, PBB succession and the state’s industrial and land-policy agenda.
- What is Awang Tengah Ali Hasan best known for?
- Awang Tengah Ali Hasan is best known for representing Lawas since 1987 and leading Sarawak’s trade, investment and natural-resource portfolios.
- When and where was Awang Tengah Ali Hasan born?
- Awang Tengah Ali Hasan was born on 2 December 1955 in Kampung Dato, Kuala Lawas, Sarawak.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Office of the Premier of SarawakCurrent ministers of the Sarawak Government
- 2. International Digital Economy Conference SarawakSpeaker biography: Awang Tengah Ali Hasan
- 3. Government of SarawakLimbang Division reference biography
- 4. Limbang Resident’s OfficeNorthern Region strategic administration plan
- 5. Office of the Premier of SarawakPBB senior leadership statement
- 6. Wikimedia CommonsAwang Tengah Ali Hasan portrait and CC BY 2.0 record
