In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 26 October 1953
- Birthplace
- Kota Kinabalu, North Borneo
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Serving in four federal cabinet portfolios and succeeding Joseph Pairin Kitingan as PBS president
- Full name
- Maximus Johnity Ongkili
- Former federal seat
- Bandau and Kota Marudu, 1995–2022
- Party office
- PBS President, 2018–2026
- Current office
- Chairman, Energy Commission of Sabah
- Federal portfolios
- Unity; Science; Energy; Sabah and Sarawak Affairs
Why this life matters
Ongkili’s career connects PBS’s transition from opposition to coalition government with federal energy, science and MA63 administration.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Kota Kinabalu
Born to a family from Tambunan and later completed postgraduate studies in Australia.
Worked in research and development policy
Lectured and held research leadership roles, including at Sabah’s Institute for Development Studies.
Entered elected office
Won a Sabah assembly seat for PBS and entered Parliament the following year for Bandau.
Became a federal minister
Won the renamed Kota Marudu seat and entered the cabinet with responsibility for national unity and integration.
Led science and energy ministries
Served first as science, technology and innovation minister and then as energy, green technology and water minister.
Succeeded Pairin as PBS president
Became the party’s second president after its founder retired from leadership.
Held the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs portfolio
Led a dedicated federal ministry and participated in the special council addressing Malaysia Agreement 1963 issues.
Chaired Sabah’s energy regulator
Became chairman of the Energy Commission of Sabah as the state assumed a larger regulatory role.
Transferred PBS leadership
Handed acting duties to Joachim Gunsalam in 2024 and was formally succeeded at the 2026 party congress.
Research before electoral politics
Maximus Ongkili was born in Kota Kinabalu in 1953 to parents from Tambunan. He studied in Sabah and at La Trobe University in Australia before working as a lecturer and policy researcher.
He held posts at research organisations including the Institute for Development Studies in Sabah. That background in development policy preceded his candidacy for PBS and remained visible in later cabinet responsibilities involving technology, energy and federal–state relations.
A long parliamentary career
Ongkili entered the Sabah assembly in 1994 and Parliament in 1995 for Bandau, the predecessor of Kota Marudu. He represented the area until 2022, first while PBS was in opposition and later after the party returned to Barisan Nasional.
PBS rejoined BN in 2002, opening a path into the federal executive. Ongkili became minister responsible for national unity and integration in 2004 and was one of the party’s most visible federal figures for the next fourteen years.
Science, energy and federal office
From 2008 to 2013 he served as minister of science, technology and innovation. He then led the energy, green technology and water ministry until the 2018 change of federal government, overseeing a portfolio spanning electricity regulation, water policy and renewable energy.
Ongkili returned to cabinet in 2020 as minister for Sabah and Sarawak affairs. Parliamentary records show him addressing Borneonisation and other safeguards associated with Sabah and Sarawak’s entry into Malaysia, while a special federal council reviewed MA63 implementation questions.
PBS succession and GRS
Joseph Pairin Kitingan retired after leading PBS for thirty-three years, and Ongkili formally became the second president in 2018. He later brought the party into the GRS alignment that formed Sabah’s government after the 2020 state election.
Health concerns led him to transfer active presidential duties to Joachim Gunsalam in June 2024. Joachim won the 2026–2029 presidency unopposed and formally took office in September 2026, completing the party’s second generational handover.
Energy regulation and legacy
In 2023 Ongkili became chairman of the Energy Commission of Sabah, a regulator created as the state expanded its authority over electricity supply. The appointment returned him to a policy field he had overseen at federal level.
His career explains how PBS moved from state opposition to BN participation and then GRS, while retaining a Sabah-based identity. It also links technical policy portfolios to the larger constitutional debate over which level of government should control services and resources.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Maximus Ongkili
- Who is Maximus Ongkili?
- Maximus Ongkili is a chairman of the Energy Commission of Sabah and former PBS President. Ongkili’s career connects PBS’s transition from opposition to coalition government with federal energy, science and MA63 administration.
- What is Maximus Ongkili best known for?
- Maximus Ongkili is best known for serving in four federal cabinet portfolios and succeeding Joseph Pairin Kitingan as PBS president.
- When and where was Maximus Ongkili born?
- Maximus Ongkili was born on 26 October 1953 in Kota Kinabalu, North Borneo.
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. Singapore International Energy WeekProfessional biography of Maximus Ongkili
- 2. Parliament of MalaysiaArchive member profile: Kota Marudu
- 3. Energy Commission of SabahCommission members
- 4. Parliament of MalaysiaDewan Rakyat record on Borneonisation and MA63 safeguards
- 5. Astro Awani / BERNAMAOngkili transfers PBS presidential duties to Joachim
- 6. Wikimedia CommonsMaximus Ongkili portrait and CC BY-SA 2.0 record
