Wan Junaidi appointed as eighth Sarawak TYT

FORMER Senate President, Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has been appointed as the eighth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak.

He succeeds Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has held the position of Sarawak governor since March 2014.

His appointment as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, is welcomed by fellow Sarawakians as aside from his many other achievements, he has also contributed a lot in fighting for the rights of Sarawak during his tenure as Member of Parliament (MP).

Many might wonder, what is the story behind the journey of this great figure to stand where he is now?

Born on February 1, 1946 in Sadong Jaya, Simunjan, Wan Junaidi started his career as a police officer before he pursued his studies in law at the University of Buckingham, the United Kingdom.

He later obtained his masters in law from the Council of Legal Education London and subsequently completed his PhD in Business Administration (DBA) from the University of Southern California, the United States of America.

He started his political career in 1987 when he was appointed as an executive committee member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth Satok Branch and rose to become one of its vice-presidents.

Wan Junaidi was chosen to contest in Batang Lupar in 1990 and elected as its MP. He held the post until 2004 and he switched his seat to Santubong.

With his vast experience, Wan Junaidi is quite skilled in the ins and outs of Parliament, and is even known as the encyclopedia of law and the Federal Constitution by his friends in Parliament.

As such, as an MP, Wan Junaidi has held various important posts in the federal government, starting as deputy speaker of Parliament. Later he was appointed as Deputy Home Affairs Minister.

After successfully retaining the Santubong seat in the 13th general elections in 2013, he was appointed as Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and later as Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives. His last post in the federal Cabinet was as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law).

Apart from being a successful lawyer and politician, Wan Junaidi is also a prolific writer having written seven books.

In 2022, his beloved wife, Datin Seri Fiona Norjanah Sim Abdullah, passed away leaving him and their three daughters behind.

Subsequently, at the same time he dropped himself out from the list of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidates in the 2022 General Election (GE).

Despite his retirement as an MP, he did not completely vanish from the world of politics as in GE-15, Wan Junaidi was seen giving his all to help his successor, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri in her campaigns.

At that time he explained that as a party member who is loyal to the party, he will continue to help GPS candidates to campaign while also ensuring the success of GPS in the general election.

The veteran politician, former senior police officer and respected legal practitioner also continued to support other GPS members in the election.

Moreover, on December 10, 2022, a new chapter for him began when he ended his widowhood and married the new love in his life Datin Seri Fauziah Mohd Sanusi.

Not long after that, on June 5 last year, Wan Junaidi was also conferred the title ‘Tan Sri’ in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s official birthday.

Following this, he was appointed as President of the Senate on June 19, 2023 until he resigned from the post on January 19, 2024 to pave the way for his imminent appointment as the eighth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak.

As soon as he received his watikah from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at Istana Negara here, this morning, Wan Junaidi was awarded the country’s highest award, the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (SSM) which carries the title Tun.

ENDS