sawit

YAB Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman
Chairman

Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman, the present Chief Minister of Sabah, hails from Beaufort. He was born on 30th March 1951. Like every youngster he began his primary education, in the Malay stream, at SRK Mempagar, Limbawang, Beaufort. However, he progressed towards the English stream by attending at St Paul's Primary School, Sabah College and All Saints Secondary School.
The success achieved certainly was met with approval and admiration from various quarters, in particular the Government. Soon, Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman began to be a regular member of many trade and business delegations. Participating actively in these overseas trips he became one of the few local entrepreneurs who travelled extensively and widely. Every trip was taken as an opportunity to learn and improve his business acumen.

Since his early days in primary school he was fascinated with the world of business. Every school holiday was an opportune time to lend a hand in his father's retail business. As soon as his schooling days were over he took a bold step, as early as 1973, to pursue his business interests in Sandakan. Guided by hard work and strong discipline this young Bumiputera entrepreneur chose to engage in a challenging new venture. Sure enough, under his able stewardship Syarikat Musman Holdings Sdn Bhd began to grow from its humble beginning. It was only a matter of time before the company had under its umbrella a number of thriving subsidiaries engaged in various sectors. Among them were stevedoring, plantations, building and construction, property development, finance and insurance, transport and shipping..

His extensive business experience and expertise brought him to lend his services for the benefit of the state and the nation. At the state level, among others, he was appointed as the Executive Chairman of SEDCO, Chief Executive Officer of Innoprise Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Chairman of Innoprise International Incorporated, and Chairman of Sabah Softwood Sdn. Bhd. At the national level, Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman led City Finance Berhad as its long standing Chairman..

As a successful businessman he does not lose sight of his responsibility to lend his hand to assist other enterprising businessmen, especially from amongst the Bumiputera. For more than 10 years he served as the Chairman of the Sabah Bumiputera Chambers of Commerce. During his tenure he turned this ailing organization, burdened with debts, to one that currently holds strategic assets in plantations and power generation. In recognition of his excellent contributions over the years, he has been made its present patron.

His vast experience in business was also put to good use in leading the Sabah Foundation. He served both as the Deputy Chairman, at the level of the Board of Trustees, as well as leading the management of this prime welfare organization, as its Director. He was appointed as a member of MAPEN 1 (1989-1991), representing the state. In 2001 he was made a permanent member of the Sabah State Development Council.

Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman's concern for the welfare and advancement of people of Sabah led him to enter politics. As early as 1989, the late Tun Datu Mustapha, fondly remembered as 'Bapa Kemerdekaan Sabah', invited him to be USNO's treasurer. Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman stood as USNO's candidate for the Sugut constituency in the 1990's state election. He failed in his maiden bid to win the seat. However, it did not deter him from continuing his political struggle. In fact this setback led to him to hold even more dearly to one of his principles - never lose heart and never give in to defeat.

The contemporary political scenario was not conducive for the future development and progress of the bumiputeras. This moved him to be one of the founder members who invited UMNO to expand its wings into Sabah. His commitment towards UMNO grew even further when he was appointed the first Protem Treasurer of UMNO in Sabah. Soon after, Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman took on the challenge to win the crucial party post of Divisional Head of Libaran. In 1992 he was also appointed as the Treasurer of Sabah Barisan Nasional..

In the State Election, held in 1994, Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman contest and won the Sg. Sibuga state seat. Thus, began a new responsibility as a member of the State Legislative Assembly. Endowed with a strong commitment to serve his constituency well he won the same seat handsomely in the 1999 State Election. He was returned with the highest majority among the 24 seats contested by UMNO.

Like the success achieved in business Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman's political career began to ascend. Following the victory in the state election in 1999 he moved on to become a full state cabinet member. He was appointed the Minister in the Chief Minister's Department. In 2001, he became the state's Finance Minister. His political career took on even greater heights when he was appointed by YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, President of UMNO and Prime Minister of Malaysia, as the Sabah UMNO Liaison Chief. This new appointment also elevated him to UMNO's Supreme Council.

His long outstanding services to the state and nation were also recognized. He was awarded a number of honorary titles. At the state's level he was awarded the Justice of Peace (JP) in 1989. In 1994 the His Excellency the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri conferred upon him the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK), carrying the title "Datuk". At the national level he was conferred the Johan mangku Negara (JMN). He was conferred the Darjah Gemilang Seri Melaka (D.G.S.M.) in 2003, and conferred the Datuk Amar (D.A.) in 2004.

Though actively engaged in business and politics, Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman kept a strong desire and interest to improve his academic stature, especially in the field of business management. His commitment towards it finally paid off, when he was given the opportunity to work towards a masters degree with Edith Cowan University. In 2000, he successfully completed his graduate programme leading to a master in Business Administration (MBA). Since then, he has also been invited to be the patron for university graduate alumni. He is the patron of ECU-MBA and UiTM Alumni Associations. He is also honoured being conferred as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Bangladesh.

Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman is married to Y.A.Bhg. Datin Hajjah Faridah Haji Tussin. The couple has been blessed with four siblings; three grown-up boys and one girl.

Y.A.B. Datuk Musa Haji Aman leads an active and healthy lifestyle. Among his favourite hobbies are jogging, golfing, reading and gardening..

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