THE 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly will be automatically dissolved on 11 November 2025 if no earlier dissolution is announced, according to Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M Yahya.
He clarified that the assembly’s five-year term is calculated from the date of its first sitting, which took place on 12 November 2020, rather than from polling day or the swearing-in of assembly members.
“There are outsiders who misunderstand the dissolution date. Some count from polling day, others think it starts from the date the elected representatives were sworn in. In fact, it is not counted from polling day, the announcement of the election results, or the swearing-in. It is counted from the date of the first sitting of the new legislative term,” he told Bernama.
Kadzim explained that, should the automatic dissolution occur on 11 November, the matter would be formally communicated to the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah, Tun Musa Aman, and the Election Commission (EC), with an election required to be held within 60 days.
On the upcoming two-day sitting of the assembly, scheduled to begin Monday, he said four bills are expected to be tabled, covering supplementary supply, state sales tax, forestry, and climate change and carbon governance.
“We normally have at least three sittings a year. This time, there’s more attention because if the assembly dissolves after this, it will be the final sitting of the term. If not, it will just be the third sitting this year. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a regular sitting,” he added.
Kadzim also defended the decision to livestream the proceedings on social media platforms, including YouTube, allowing members of the public to follow legislative debates from afar.
“I think it’s better for people to watch it live because our focus is solely on the debates. There are many benefits to live broadcasts,” he said, noting that it also encourages decorum and quality debate among assembly members.
“If I were an assemblyman, I’d also be more disciplined, knowing that I’m being followed live by the public. The good thing is, the coverage will be wider since not everyone can come to the assembly.”
The Speaker reminded the public that the State Assembly building is a gazetted security zone and asked that restrictions in the surrounding area be respected.
“It’s not that we’re stopping people from coming, but we don’t want the assembly to feel like a convention centre with crowds swarming around. Since the area is already gazetted as a security zone, there are limits – please observe them,” he said.
On the possibility of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into legislative processes, Kadzim said limitations remain, particularly in language translation. However, he welcomed the potential for future use.
“If one day AI can be used for legislative sittings, we could use it to assist in our work, including producing the Hansard and so forth,” he added. - July 6, 2025
