PETALING JAYA: Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) founder Joseph Kurup announced his retirement from politics and has stepped down as party president.
A former federal minister, Kurup, 78, was appointed honorary chairman by the party’s supreme council, while his son Arthur Joseph Kurup succeeds him as party president.
Kurup founded PBRS in 1994 after splitting with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and the party has been part of Barisan Nasional (BN) since.
The veteran politician has held several ministerial posts throughout his political career which spanned more than four decades.
Among the portfolios he held were Sabah deputy chief minister between 1986 and 1990 and again between 1994-1999.
His last post was minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (unity minister) between 2013 and 2018. He did not contest in the 2018 general election to defend his Pensiangan seat, opting to give way to Arthur, 40.
Arthur is deputy science, technology and innovation minister in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet.
