Datuk Seri Hajah Nancy Shukri was born on August 5, 1961 in Kuching, Sarawak to Shukri Mahidi and Bibi McPherson. She has Malay, Melanau ancestry on her father’s side while her mother has Scottish, Iban and Chinese ancestry. Nancy is the tenth of 11 siblings.
She has been married to a Sabahan businessman Kamil Misuari since 1985 and they have three children.
Nancy is the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and the Member of Parliament for Batang Sadong constituency, representing the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
In the Prime Minister’s Department, she oversees the following agencies: Malaysian Innovation Agency (AIM), Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), Malaysia Nuclear Power Corp (MNPC), Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), and Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) Sabah and Sarawak.
She holds a Diploma in Public Administration from Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), a law degree from University of Hull, England, and an Executive MBA from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)/Ohio University.
The Batang Sadong incumbent also was in the Legal Division of Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) for almost 12 years followed by five years as a Political Secretary to then Chief Minister Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has since 2014 been appointed as the Governor.
Her political posts are as PBB Assistant Secretary-General and Secretary of both women’s wings of PBB and Sarawak BN.
She first won Batang Sadong in 2008 general election, beating Piee Ling of PKR by 5,425 votes. In GE13, she defeated Mohammed Jolhi, also of PKR, by 11,260 votes.
For 10 years, Nancy has built a strong grassroots following in Batang Sadong. Her constituents have grown accustomed to her frequent visits and people-oriented programmes.
She also has strong rapport with the three state representatives in Sadong Jaya (Aidel Lariwoo), Simunjan (Awla Dris) and Gedong (Datuk Naroden Majais), all of whom are her PBB colleagues.
The cooperation between the four, as well as their teamwork with government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has enabled better planning and implementation of projects and programmes focusing on human capital and socio-economic activities.
In the past, Batang Sadong is seen as a sleepy district where little happened. The Malay majority are involved in agriculture, and the Chinese are mostly shopkeepers running sundry outlets and coffee shops.
With the grand opening of the 1.48km Batang Sadong Bridge, costing RM231 million, in December 2016 by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, it was Sadong’s biggest project in years. Good things have begun to happen.
Another bridge, costing RM1 billion, is being planned across Sungai Batang Lupar to complete the coastal route alignment linking areas bypassed by the Pan-Borneo Highway. Construction is expected to start this year.
When completed, the 5km bridge to be built on a 50-50 share between the state and federal governments, will replace the Batang Sadong Bridge as the longest bridge in Sarawak.
The Batang Sadong parliamentary constituency has been a PBB stronghold since it was first contested in the 1990 general election.
Batang Sadong has 23,213 registered voters, consisting of 16,274 Malays, 5,647 Dayaks, 1,187 Chinese and there are 105 others.
