-filepic
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will know on Tuesday (Dec 17) who will be its 11th Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT) amid indications that former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman may be selected.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajji Noor has not given any official indication on the state's choice for the post currently held by Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, whose term ends on Dec 31.
According to officials, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is scheduled to hand over a letter of appointment to the incoming Yang Di-Pertua Negeri at a simple ceremony at Istana Negara on Tuesday.
The name has been kept a closely guarded secret as it is decided by the King on the advice of the Chief Minister.
ALSO READ: List of Sabah TYT candidates to be submitted to King soon, says Hajiji
The 71-year-old Juhar, who was first appointed on Jan 1, 2011, is the longest-serving Governor after holding office for three full four-year terms and receiving a two-year extension effective from Jan 1 last year at the end of his third term.
It is learnt that a final decision was made on Monday (Dec 9), with the two options being either Musa or extending Juhar's term for two more years.
Talk has been rife among senior state government officials that Musa is set to succeed Juhar.
The Constitutional office has always been a focal point of public interest throughout Sabah's storied political history of power grabs and political dramas at Istana Negeri after elections and the fall of governments.
The Governor's term was limited to two terms but in 2019, the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan government amended the state Constitution to remove the ceiling.
During his tenure, Juhar faced several legal challenges, including the appointment of a chief minister after the 2018 general election and his September 2020 decision to allow the dissolution of the state assembly to pave the way for snap polls.
ALSO READ: All eyes on who will be Sabah's next Yang di-Pertua with Juhar's term ending Dec 31
His decisions were upheld by the courts in both instances after Musa instituted legal proceedings.
Musa had challenged his removal as chief minister 48 hours after being sworn in post-GE14 in 2018, with Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal then taking over.
In September 2020, Shafie called for a snap election amid a move by Musa to regain his majority in the state assembly just months after corruption charges were dropped against him.
The political moves came with changing federal politics as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin became prime minister in 2020 during the Sheraton Move after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned from the post.
The 73-year-old Musa, who did not contest in the 2020 state election, has since taken a political backseat and kept a low profile but remained a member of Umno.
