In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 2 June 1950
- Birthplace
- Ranau, Sabah
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Moving from law and public administration into long-term representation of Karanaan and senior economic office
- Full name
- Masidi bin Manjun
- Profession
- Lawyer and former public administrator
- State seat
- Karanaan, since 2004
- Party office
- Gagasan Rakyat Deputy President
- State office
- Deputy Chief Minister II and Finance Minister
Why this life matters
Masidi’s career connects Sabah’s civil service, tourism development, pandemic communication and the financial leadership of the GRS administration.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Ranau
Born in Sabah’s interior and later trained in law in London.
Worked in the Sabah public service
Served in legal, district and municipal administration before entering the private sector.
Won Karanaan
Entered the Sabah assembly and became minister of youth and sports.
Led tourism, culture and environment
Held a long-running portfolio closely tied to Sabah’s destination economy and conservation policy.
Left UMNO and joined Bersatu
Moved through the post-GE14 realignment alongside other Sabah leaders.
Joined the GRS cabinet
Became local government and housing minister, finance minister II and a principal pandemic spokesperson.
Became finance minister
Moved into the full state finance portfolio and joined Gagasan Rakyat’s senior leadership.
Became Deputy Chief Minister II
Retained Karanaan and entered Hajiji Noor’s second-term cabinet at deputy-chief-minister rank.
Law and public administration
Masidi Manjun was born in Ranau and completed a law degree through the University of London before qualifying at Lincoln’s Inn. His early career combined legal training with a sequence of Sabah public-service appointments.
He worked as a legal adviser and prosecutor, served as Tuaran district officer and led Sandakan’s municipal council. Later roles in a state ministry and the Attorney-General’s Chambers gave him experience across local administration, policy and law before he left government service in 1989.
Karanaan and the tourism portfolio
Masidi entered electoral politics in 2004 and won the newly created Karanaan seat. He became youth and sports minister before moving in 2006 to tourism, culture and environment, a portfolio he held for most of the following twelve years.
Tourism is central to Sabah’s economy, while the environment portfolio covers the natural assets on which much of that visitor economy depends. Masidi’s long tenure made him closely associated with both destination promotion and state-level conservation administration.
Party realignment after 2018
After Barisan Nasional lost federal power, Masidi left UMNO and later joined Bersatu. He became one of Hajiji Noor’s senior allies as Sabah Bersatu entered the 2020 state election within the GRS alliance.
When Hajiji and allied leaders left Bersatu in 2022, Masidi moved into Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah. He became the party’s deputy president, helping turn it into the local anchor of the registered GRS coalition.
Pandemic communication and state finance
The 2020 GRS government appointed Masidi local government and housing minister and finance minister II. He also became one of Sabah’s most visible COVID-19 spokespeople, explaining case numbers, restrictions and policy decisions during the public-health emergency.
A January 2023 reshuffle made him state finance minister. After the 2025 election he retained the portfolio and became Deputy Chief Minister II, giving him responsibility for budgets, revenue policy and fiscal planning in Hajiji’s second-term administration.
Why Masidi Manjun matters
Masidi brings together several forms of public experience: legal practice, civil administration, constituency politics, tourism policy, crisis communication and finance. That range helps explain his durability across different Sabah governments and party structures.
His career also illustrates the institutional evolution of GRS. Senior leaders who once operated through a national party shifted into a locally based component while continuing cooperation with the federal government.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Masidi Manjun
- Who is Masidi Manjun?
- Masidi Manjun is a deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Sabah. Masidi’s career connects Sabah’s civil service, tourism development, pandemic communication and the financial leadership of the GRS administration.
- What is Masidi Manjun best known for?
- Masidi Manjun is best known for moving from law and public administration into long-term representation of Karanaan and senior economic office.
- When and where was Masidi Manjun born?
- Masidi Manjun was born on 2 June 1950 in Ranau, Sabah.
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. Government of SabahSabah State Cabinet
- 2. Sabah State GazetteAppointment of Sabah cabinet members, 1 December 2025
- 3. Government of SabahSabah State Budget 2026
- 4. Universiti Malaysia Sabah ArchiveAppointment as chair of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah board
- 5. Sabah Ministry of FinanceMessage from the Sabah Finance Minister
- 6. Wikimedia CommonsMasidi Manjun portrait and public-domain record
