Dato'

Malay titles

The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....

 Joseph Salang Gandum is a Malaysian politician. He is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia

Parliament of Malaysia

The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....

 for the Julau

Julau

Julau is a town, and the capital of the Julau District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. The district population was 34,500...

 constituency in Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

, representing the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). He is the Deputy Minister for Information Communication and Culture in the Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...

 coalition government.

Salang was a bank officer before entering politics. He was elected to Parliament in the 1999 election

Malaysian general election, 1999

The 1999 Malaysian General Election was held on 29 November 1999 as stipulated by the laws of Malaysia for general elections. As expected, the Barisan Nasional coalition maintained its majority in parliament, and thus, its grip on the post of Prime Minister....

. He was originally a member (and deputy president) of the Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), but sat in Parliament without a party after the PBDS was deregistered in 2004. He eventually joined the PRS ahead of the 2008 election

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

.

Salang has served in a number of government posts, including Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Minister for Energy, Water and Communications, before being appointed to his current post of Deputy Minister for Information Communication and Culture in April 2009.

Election results

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ Parliament of Malaysia

Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...

: Julau

Julau

Julau is a town, and the capital of the Julau District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. The district population was 34,500...

, Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

!|Year
!
!|Barisan Nasional
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Opposition
!|Votes
!|Pct
|-
|1999

Malaysian general election, 1999

The 1999 Malaysian General Election was held on 29 November 1999 as stipulated by the laws of Malaysia for general elections. As expected, the Barisan Nasional coalition maintained its majority in parliament, and thus, its grip on the post of Prime Minister....

|
| | (PBDS)
| align="right" |9,183
| |67%
|
| |Kong Ah Huat (IND

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

)
| align="right" |2,897
| |21%
|-
|2004

Malaysian general election, 2004

General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...

|
| | (PBDS)
| align="right" |8,388
| |59%
|
| |Randan Mawat (IND

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

)
| align="right" |5,700
| |40%
|-
|2008

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

|
| | (PRS

Parti Rakyat Sarawak

The Parti Rakyat Sarawak or, PRS is a political party in Malaysia. The party is one of the constituent members of the ruling Barisan Nasional...

)
| align="right" |10,351
| |78%
|
| |Labang Jamba (PKR)
| align="right" |2,767
| |21%