Baru Bian

Baru Bian (born 9 September 1958) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ba'kelalan since April 2011. He served as the Minister of Works in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Selangau from May 2018 to November 2022. He is a member of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition and was a member of the Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH and formerly Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalitions. He has also served as the Vice President of PDP since April 2024. He also served as the State Chairman of PKR of Sarawak from December 2009 to his resignation from the party in February 2020. He became the first ever federal minister of the Lun Bawang ethnicity in the Malaysian history.

Early life and education Baru Bian was born in an impoverished Lun Bawang family on 9 September 1958, After that, he attended Limbang secondary school until Form 5. At one point, he would need to wear modified school blouse left by her sister for the secondary school. He need to hike in the jungles for three days before reaching Lawas and another day journey to reach Limbang. His experiences during journeys through the jungles and mountain streams led him to understand the value of native customary rights (NCR) for pemakai menoa (territorial domain) and pulau galau (communal forest reserve) and also the environmental protection. In 2007, the Federal Court of Malaysia upheld the decision on Rumah Nor Nyawai case that pemakai menua and pulau galau, in addition to temuda (cultivated land before 1 January 1958) are included in the definition of NCR land. In March 2011, Baru successfully led the legal defence team consisting of Civil Rights Lawyers See Chee How & Desmond Kho, resulting in the acquittal of Numpang Suntai who was accused of burning ten items of machinery in a logging camp at Sebangan, Simunjan District for encroaching the latter's ancestral land. By 2013, Baru Bian's law firm had processed more than 200 native land rights cases in court.

Baru's strong belief in the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of Malaysia had prompted him to take up cases for those who wished to leave the religion of Islam. His representations in the apostasy cases has drawn criticisms from Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), accusing him of contempt against the Islamic religion. He has also been fighting regarding the rights by Christians of Sabah and Sarawak to carry on using the word Allah in the general practise of their Christian faith for generations.

Baru has been a popularly known activist and lawyer who had handled many ancestral lands as well as native customary rights cases and has strong support from churches notably SIB and Dayak community. As an Orang Ulu of Lun Bawang descent, Baru is seen as a hero and fighter especially within the interior Sarawak's Dayak community for his selfless contributions.

Political career In 1987, Baru had joined Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) at the beginning because the party was advocating NCR rights in Sarawak. One of the condition for PBDS to rejoin BN was to stop raising the NCR issues within the state government. However, Baru Bian decided to continue his pursue towards NCR rights cases in court. Baru believed in continuing to uphold the NCR lands among the natives and the need to change the Sarawak state government in order to solve the NCR problems permanently. Baru later tried to join newly formed Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) to succeed PBDS but its registration never get to be approved for 2006 Sarawak state election, Baru chose to join Sarawak National Party (SNAP) instead to contest again the Ba'kelalan under SNAP ticket but had lost for the third time. He filed an election petition to Miri High Court on Barisan Nasional (BN)'s vote buying activities in Ba'kelalan but the petition was struck out on technicality grounds. He then decided to retire from politics temporary because he already lost three times in elections. Baru decided to rejoin politics again to strengthen the two-party system and joined People's Justice Party (PKR) in April 2008, the same time of formation of new Pakatan Rakyat, as a reforms-hopeful informal coalition.

In 2013 Malaysian general election (GE13), Baru Bian decided to contest in Limbang parliamentary seat as PKR candidate. However, he was defeated by a huge margin against BN. In 2015, Sarawak chief minister Adenan Satem invited Baru to join BN, however, he declined the offer. Baru retained the seat in the 2016 Sarawak state election as PKR candidate with an increased majority of 538 votes, also against Willie.

During the 2018 Malaysian general election (GE14), NCR issues at Selangau prompted Baru to contest for the seat. PKR successfully won four seats in Sarawak in GE14 then, pointing to the party newly gained grassroots support and a disunited split in BN's component parties, United Bumiputera Heritage Party (PBB) in Puncak Borneo, Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) in Miri; and also BN coalition's own disarrays in Saratok and Selangau.

In 2020 Malaysian political crisis, Baru with 10 other PKR MPs led by Mohamed Azmin Ali decided to leave the party to support Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) Prime Minister candidate Mahathir Mohamad to remain as the Prime Minister. However, after Mahathir resigns, BERSATU picked Muhyiddin for the Prime Minister position. Amidst PH also changed their support to Anwar Ibrahim from Mahathir for Prime Minister, Baru had turned Independent rather than follow Azmin's group, joining BERSATU to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government with Muhyiddin as Prime Minister, and be accused a hypocrite as well as opportunistic politician.

Personal life Family Baru met his current wife Yu Ching Sieu during his studies at Melbourne, Australia when he joined Overseas Christian Fellowship (OCF). Baru returned to Malaysia after graduation in 1986, Ching Sieu was still studying for another year for her double degree. She only returned to Malaysia in 1987. Baru and Ching Sieu was married on 17 December 1988. Baru and Ching Sieu raised three children, all three are now practicing Lawyers.