KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has yet to decide on the fate of the four Sabah Barisan-Umno assistant ministers in his state Cabinet.
The Chief Minister said he needed time to think on the next course of action on the four, who had sided with Sabah Barisan chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin over the recent Sabah political crisis.
“Give me the space to think on how to run this state well,” he said when met after the University College Sabah Foundation convocation ceremony here on Saturday (Jan 14).
“I have to look at all aspects of the matter.
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“So, don’t worry. We will take the appropriate action. What’s important is the priority for the state and the people,” added the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman.
The four Sabah Barisan assistant ministers whose status were in question following the state Cabinet reshuffle are Mohd Tamin Zainal (Industrial Development), Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supain (Local Government and Housing), Harun Durabi (Rural Development) and Datuk Andi Muhamad Suryady Bandy (Youth and Sports).
They were among the 13 assemblymen who sided with Bung Moktar over the move to pull out from the GRS government on Jan 6.
Five other Sabah Barisan-Umno assemblymen threw their support behind Hajiji over the political turmoil that saw the latter staying on as Chief Minister.
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They were Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (Sindumin), Datuk Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), Datuk Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk), and Datuk James Ratib (Sugut).
Shahelmey has since been promoted to Deputy Chief Minister III-cum-Sabah Works Minister, replacing Bung Moktar, and Ratib appointed as the Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister in Hajiji’s reshuffled Cabinet while Yusof was named the chairman of state investment arm Qhazanah Sabah Berhad.
Sabah Umno deputy chief Datuk Yakubah Khan and state Umno secretary Datuk Jafry Ariffin were also dropped from the Cabinet after backing Bung Moktar over the move.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said he was in constant communication with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said he had also informed Anwar over the reshuffled state Cabinet.
“This (to inform the PM) is necessary. What we did (over Cabinet reshuffle) was for the good of Sabah.
“I always meet the PM as well as communicating through telephone. As he is the country’s top leader, we will meet up and talk about issues concerning the people and Sabah,” Hajiji said.
To another question over Bung Moktar’s remarks on Friday (Jan 13) that the political crisis remained unresolved in the state, Hajiji said that was the latter’s own opinion.
“That’s what he says,” he briefly quipped.
Bung Moktar in a statement said the political turmoil in Sabah persists despite seemingly cooling off.
“Politics are never-ending. Although it looks calm in Sabah for now, the turmoil remains unresolved because the formation of the state government was initially between Umno and Perikatan Nasional,” he said, referring to the deal struck after the 2020 state snap election.
“This continues to be the question so, (if) people want to play politics, we play politics, it’s okay,” he said.
