KOTA KINABALU: Former Parti Warisan “poster girl” Jo-Anna Sue Henley Rampas was spotted attending a Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) event on Sunday (Oct 27), sparking speculation about her political future.
Rampas, the 2007 Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Festival beauty queen), has been seen at several PBS functions recently, fuelling talk of her possibly joining the party.
However, the 35-year-old clarified that her presence was purely professional, as she was invited to speak at the PBS Strategic Communication Workshop.
Currently on a sabbatical from politics, Rampas is pursuing her doctorate at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
She explained that her involvement in the PBS workshop was aligned with her academic research, focusing on youth empowerment and political engagement in Sabah.
“I was invited as a speaker for the workshop to share insights on youth empowerment and participation in politics, which ties into my current research on the effects of the ‘Undi 18’ initiative,” she said, referencing Malaysia’s decision to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years old.
Her research includes findings on Sarawakian youth, which she also applied to their peers in Sabah.
When asked about her political future, Rampas stressed that she was focused on completing her doctoral thesis, which she expects to finish around 2026.
“Right now, my priority is fulfilling my academic commitments. Once my thesis is complete, perhaps in two years, I will consider my next steps. But for now, no plans,” she said.
Rampas made her electoral debut in 2018, running for the Kiulu state seat, and she contested the Tuaran parliamentary seat in 2022, both times against Datuk Joniston Bangkuai of PBS, though unsuccessfully.
She distanced herself from Parti Warisan late last year but has denied rumours of switching parties.
Bangkuai, the PBS information chief and Kiulu assemblyman, expressed appreciation for Rampas’ participation, noting, “We invited her because she has all the qualities to be an effective speaker on the topics assigned to her.”
When asked if Rampas’ appearance at the PBS event hinted at her aligning with the party in the future, Bangkuai responded briefly, “I don’t want to read too much into it.”
However, he noted that Rampas seemed to “feel at home” while interacting with the participants.
The two-day workshop, which concluded on Sunday (Oct 27), was organised by the party’s Information Bureau and acted as a prelude to the PBS 39th annual delegates conference held from Oct 28-29.
