KUCHING, Jan 12: Jo-anna Sue Henley Rampas, popularly known as the youthful celebrity politician from Sabah, will be one of the panelists in the upcoming TSI Leadership Forum titled ‘Borneo Youth – Agent of Change in a New Malaysia’, taking place on Jan 14 at Riverside Majestic Hotel here.
Organised by The Sarawak Initiatives (TSI), the forum will be moderated by Dr James Chin, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania.
In a media release today, TSI said a young and qualified intellectual like Jo-anna from a remote village in a 21st century world is a person aspiring leaders in Sarawak need to meet and be inspired by.
Jo-anna, who is Parti Warisan Wirawati deputy head, will share her political journey and vision for Borneo states, particularly Sabah.
Dubbed the “beauty with brains”, Jo-anna is the winner of the 2007 Unduk Ngadau (beauty contest) during the Kaamatan Festival and a former Bintang RTM star who has composed several songs in the Dusun and Malay language.
With a law degree from University of London, the multi-talented lass of British-Dusun ethnicity ventured into politics in 2016 to bring change and help uplift the livelihoods of her community. Later, she also completed a Masters in Law from the University of West England.
Throughout her political career, Jo-anna has held several key positions including as Wirawati head of Tuaran Division and a former political secretary to the then Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal.
She is also active in various welfare and community programmes, especially through her role as the Sabah Ngadau Unduk Committee chairperson since 2019.
Other panelists featured at the forum are Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii from Democratic Action Party (DAP), Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman and Serumbu assemblyman Miro Simuh from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis.
Among the topics to be discussed at the forum include Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), economics, culture, national identity, unity, education, and political philosophies. — DayakDaily
