KOTA KINABALU: The five-year term of the current Sabah State Assembly will expire automatically a day before its full term on Nov 12, says Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya (pic).
He explained that the start of the five-year term of the current assembly is marked from the first official sitting following the 16th state election on Sept 29, 2020.
The first sitting and opening of the state assembly by the then Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin was on Nov 12, 2020.
“As such, the five-year term technically ends on Nov 11 this year. This should be the cutoff date,” Kadzim said.
He further explained that the session held at the state assembly on Oct 9, 2020 was for the swearing in of the newly elected assemblymen and is not considered the first day of the term.
There has been a degree of confusion over the automatic dissolution of the current 79-member Sabah assembly term amid talk that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor might take it to a full term.
Political circles anticipate the state polls to be called in July after the month-long Kaamatan celebrations in May and Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Musa Aman’s official birthday on June 21.
Hajiji, who leads the eight-party Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), is currently in alliance with Sabah Pakatan Harapan and renegades from Sabah Barisan Nasional.
He has kept the guessing game on the election date, telling reporters he has yet to “dream” about it.
Political observers believe that Hajiji needs to sort out seat-sharing among his key component parties in GRS before opening talks with the four-party Sabah Pakatan and other parties.
