Bernard Giluk Dompok (born 7 October 1949) is a Malaysian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as Ambassador of Malaysia to the Holy See from March 2016 to June 2018, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities from April 2009 to May 2013,

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Malay language, Malay: ''Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri''; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a member of Cabinet of Malaysia who administers a portfolio through the Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia) ...

from December 1999 to April 2009, 11th

Chief Minister of Sabah The chief minister of Sabah is the head of government of Sabah, Malaysia. Since September 2020, the position has been held by Hajiji Noor from the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) from the coalition of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) w ...

briefly from May 1998 to March 1999, Member of Parliament (MP) for

Penampang Penampang () is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonymous with, Donggongon ...

from August 1986 to April 1995 and again from March 2008 to May 2013 and

Ranau Ranau Town () is the capital of the Ranau District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 87,500 in 2023. The federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat is Ranau (federal constituen ...

from November 1999 to March 2004 as well as President of the

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation The United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (; abbrev: UPKO) is a multiracial political party based in Sabah, Malaysia. The party was rebranded from its previous party's name, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation using the sa ...

(UPKO) from 1994 to 2014.

Early life

He was born in

, Sabah, and received his education in St Michael's School,

Seria Seria or officially known as Seria Town (), is a town in Belait District, Brunei. It is located about west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei i ...

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, then later in St. Michael's School Donggongon, Penampang and finally in SM La Salle, Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu. Later he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of East London. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM).

Career

He started his career as a valuer at the Sabah Lands & Surveys Department in 1978. Then he left the public sector and worked as a private valuer for about five years from 1980 until 1985.

Political career

Initially a member of the

United Sabah Party The United Sabah Party or formerly known as United Sabah Movement (; Abbreviation, abbrev: PBS) is a political party of Sabah. PBS had been recognized by the people of Sabah as ''historical local party'' since 1985. The PBS was founded by Josep ...

(PBS), Dompok contested, and won, both the

Sabah State Legislative Assembly The Sabah State Legislative Assembly ( Kadazandusun: ''Langga' Tinukuan Pogun Sabah'', ) is a part of the legislature of Sabah, Malaysia, the other being the governor of Sabah. The assembly meets at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Buildin ...

seat of Moyog, and the federal seat of

, in separate 1986 elections. PBS won a majority in the state assembly at the election, and Dompok was appointed the state's finance minister. He became the President of the UPKO, then known as the Sabah Democratic Party (PDS), in 1994. The party was formed when Dompok and others split from the PBS to join the

Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional (BN; ) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1974 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in ...

(BN) coalition and deliver the coalition a majority in the

. After switching to the Barisan Nasional, he lost his parliamentary seat at the 1995 election to a PBS candidate. Despite losing his federal seat, Dompok remained a state assemblyman and a senior member of the Barisan Nasional state government that he had helped to form. He served in a range of ministries in the state government, before assuming the post of Chief Minister, on a rotating basis, from 1998 to 1999. Dompok led the BN coalition to victory in the 1999 Sabah state election, however PDS were routed in the election, having lost all but 2 of their seats to PBS candidates, including Dompok's defeat in Moyog to PBS candidate Clarence Bongkos. In the aftermath of PDS poor performance, Dompok lost the Sabah CM role, and the state BN chairman role that he held when he was appointed the Sabah CM in 1998, to UMNO Sabah chairman

Osu Sukam Osu bin Sukam ( Jawi: اوسو بن سوكم; born 19 February 1949) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 12th Chief Minister of Sabah from March 1999 to March 2001, Member of Parliament (MP) for Papar from August 1986 to March 2004 a ...

. On 8 August 1999, at the party's fifth congress, PDS was renamed as UPKO to better reflect the main community that the party represented. In the

1999 Malaysian general election General elections were held in Malaysia on Monday, 29 November 1999. Voting took place in all 193 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the dominant house of Parliament. State elect ...

he won the federal parliamentary seat of Kinabalu, defeating a PBS candidate. In 2004, he joined the Federal Cabinet as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and in 2008, he became Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities. His federal parliamentary career ended at the 2013 election, when he lost his parliamentary seat to

Darell Leiking Malay titles#Datuk, Datuk Darell Leiking, also known as Ignatius Dorell Leiking (born 23 August 1971) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Moyog (state constituen ...

of the People's Justice Party (PKR).

Diplomatic career

Bernard was recalled from his posting following the

Pakatan Harapan Pakatan Harapan (PH; stylised as HARAPAN; ) is a Malaysian Parliamentary group, political coalition consisting of Centre-left politics, centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has led ...

(PH) government's decision to stop the previous practice adopted by the

(BN) of appointing politicians to head overseas missions.

Election results

Family

He is currently married to Puan Sri Diana Alip and the couple have five children in total (four from his current marriage and one from a previous marriage).

Honours

* : ** Medal of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(PPN) (1976) **

Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

(PSM) – Tan Sri (1997) * : ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - PGDK

Commander of the

Order of Kinabalu The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu (Malay: ''Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Kinabalu'') is the only order conferred by the Governor of Sabah, Malaysia. Background The Illustrious Order of Kinabalu is established by virtue of Section 3(a) of State Honou ...

(PGDK) – Datuk (1987) ** MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - SPDK

Grand Commander of the

(SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1995)

References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dompok, Bernard Giluk Government ministers of Malaysia 1949 births Chief ministers of Sabah Sabah state ministers Living people Kadazan-Dusun people Ambassadors of Malaysia to the Holy See United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation politicians United Sabah Party politicians Alumni of the University of East London Malaysian political party founders Members of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Medallists of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Grand Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu Commanders of the Order of Kinabalu Malaysian MPs 1986–1990 Malaysian MPs 1990–1995 Malaysian MPs 1999–2004 Malaysian MPs 2004–2008 Malaysian MPs 2008–2013