[UPDATED] Hajiji drops Bung Moktar from new Sabah cabinet

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has been dropped from the state cabinet in a reshuffle by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

According to a list issued by the Chief Minister’s Department, he has been replaced as one of the state’s three deputy chief ministers by Umno’s Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.

This follows the Sabah political crisis which erupted last week when Bung withdrew Sabah BN’s support from Hajiji’s government.

Besides being a deputy chief minister, Bung was previously the state works minister.

Shahelmey, besides being deputy chief minister III, will also be state works minister. He is the Tg Keramat assemblyman and had been one of five Sabah BN reps who disagreed with Bung’s move to withdraw support from Hajiji and the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government last week.

The deputy chief ministers I and II are Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan, who is also state agriculture and fisheries minister, and Datuk Seri Joachim Gunsalam who is state local government and housing minister.

Gunsalam and Kitingan are retaining their deputy chief minister posts. Kitingan also retained his agriculture and fisheries minister post.  

The cabinet reshuffle announced today includes Pakatan Harapan (PH), but not Warisan and KDM. Hajiji had earlier been advised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to form a unity government.

“(Being) mindful of the need to form an inclusive administration, I have included state assemblymen from PH into the cabinet in addition to representatives from Umno or BN and GRS.

“It is important for the state government under my leadership to function as a cohesive team who share the same aspirations built on mutual trust and respect,” he said in a statement here today. 

Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe and Sabah PH chairman were also named ministers in the reshuffle. 

Liew was named state tourism, culture and environment minister and Phoong as industrial development minister.

Liew replaces Datuk Jafry Ariffin who is from Umno and one of the 12 assemblymen from the party who backed Bung Moktar in opposition to Hajiji. 

Another Umno or Barisan Nasional leader named in Hajiji’s new cabinet is Datuk James Ratib who replaces Shahelmey as the community development and people wellbeing minister, his previous post before his promotion.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun who was finance minister II has been promoted to finance minister, and his local government and housing minister post was given to Gunsalam. 

Datuk Yakub Khan from Umno was also dropped from the cabinet and replaced by Bersatu man Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif. 

Yakub held the science, technology and innovation minister while Arifin held the special task minister post in the previous GRS-BN administration. 

Warisan and KDM, which both questioned Hajiji’s legitimacy to be chief minister last week, are excluded from the new state cabinet lineup.

Hajiji today said the state government needed like-minded leaders who appreciate a smooth and uninterrupted effort to develop the state. 

“Political stability is crucial in achieving this. 

“With a strong team, we can ensure the state investment dynamics are maintained, further growing investors’ confidence and attracting more to Sabah. 

“We must forge ahead to push our development momentum and to fulfil our election pledges for the people and state,” he said. – The Vibes, January 11, 2023