KOTA KINABALU – The appointment of judicial commissioners in Sabah must get the consent of the head of state first before it is submitted to the Judicial Appointment Commission, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor.
“The head of state Tun Juhar Mahiruddin has consented to appointing judicial commissioners in Sabah based on the administrative mechanism.
“Juhar also agreed that another representative from Sabah and Sarawak be appointed to the commission,” Hajiji said in a statement today.
He added that the state concurred with Sarawak and is of the view that the governor has to consent to the proposed judicial appointments before they are submitted to the commission.
He told this via video conference with the Special Council on the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
At the meeting, Hajiji also reiterated the state’s commitment to pursue the state’s 40% revenue rights in relation to Article 112D of the federal constitution, and raised the need for security outposts to be strengthened along the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
“I just made a working visit to the three security outposts at the border (Burst-Point, Wallace Bay, and Sg Melayu) in Sebatik and I found there is a need for the facilities to be upgraded.”
Also at the meeting were Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg, federal ministers, and some Sabah and Sarawak leaders.
On another note, Hajiji thanked the federal government for the appointment of a representative from Sabah as a board member of the Inland Revenue Board.
He expressed gratitude to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin for tabling a paper to improve healthcare in Sabah and Sarawak, adding that he hoped all the plans could be implemented smoothly and as soon as possible.
Also agreed during the meeting was the merit in increasing parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak in line with the spirit of the Malaysia formation, to which the prime minister said the proposal will be brought to the federal cabinet for discussion.
‘No compromise on security’
Meanwhile, speaking after a briefing by the Royal Malaysia Police on the current security situation in Sabah led by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani at Menara Kinabalu near here today, Hajiji said state security is on top of his agenda.
“I raise this issue all the time. The latest was during the meeting of the Special Council on MA63 yesterday.
“I have requested an increase in allocation to strengthen our security assets, especially on the east coast.”
During the briefing, the chief minister was told that two new General Operations Force battalions would be set up at Nabawan and Kunak in addition to the existing five battalions in the state. With seven GOF battalions, Sabah will have the largest GOF presence in the country.
Also proposed was the establishment of the Skuadron 69 Commando in Lahad Datu, the Sabah marine police’s new base in Kg Lok Poring, Sepanggar, and a police training centre at Kg Laya-Laya, Tuaran.
Hajiji said the state has approved the request for an additional area for the police air unit based in Tg Aru.
Accompanying Acryl were Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department Director Datuk Hazani Ghazali, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah, as well as senior officers from Bukit Aman and Sabah police headquarters.
Also at the briefing were Sabah Attorney-General Datuk Nor Asiah Yusof, Sabah Internal Affairs and Research Secretary Datuk Awang Shaminan Sahari, and Internal Security Undersecretary Zulkifli Abidin. – The Vibes, September 9, 2022
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