Datuk Ewon Benedick
KOTA KINABALU (Dec 3): Datuk Ewon Benedick’s name is well known among the people of Sabah, especially the Kadazan Dusun Murut Rungus (KDMR) community of this state who recognise him as a young leader who is on the rise.
Hailing from Kampung Penampang Proper in Penampang, Ewon, 39, is an approachable ‘boy of the village’, hence his appointment as Minister of Entrepreneurship and Cooperative Development was met with joy and high hopes to further improve things for the country and Sabah.
The United Kinabalu Progressive Organisation (Upko) vice-president was born on August 1 1983 in his father’s village Benedick Yong Santung @ Donik in Kampung Penampang Proper, and his mother Gobidah Gindai who came from Kampung Kiau, Kota Belud.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science (Software Development) from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (2002-2005), and was educated at Kinabalu Ibukota Matriculation College (2001-2002) and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Michael, Penampang (1999-2000).
Tracing his political career, the young man of Kadazan ethnicity was active in Upko by becoming the Upko Ketua Komulakan (2006-2018), Kota Belud division head (2013-2022), before becoming the party’s vice president in 2018 to date.
He will take over as Upko president from Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau, at the party’s congress scheduled for Jan 14 to 15 next year.
Ewon has also been the Sabah Rural Development Minister (2018-2020).
He was the Kadamaian assemblyman for two terms when he won the seat with a majority of 3,294 votes in the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018, and a majority of 3,459 votes in the 16th Sabah State Election in 2020.
In GE15, Ewon representing Pakatan Harapan won the Penampang parliamentary seat with a majority of 14,410 votes, defeating the incumbent Datuk Darell Liking from Parti Warisan in a four-cornered contest. – Bernama