Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Liew Vui Keong said today Chief Minister Musa Aman is obliged to look after the interest of Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties in exercising his prerogative power.      

He said Sabah was no longer ruled by a single party like in the past.      

"Since 1994, the government of Sabah is made up of component parties from the BN," he said when asked to comment on the statement by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Joseph Pairin Kitingan that Musa, as the BN chairman, had the prerogative to chose who he wanted to appoint into the cabinet.      

Pairin, who is a deputy chief minister, made the remark in the wake of the dissatisfaction among some BN component parties following the appointment of PBS deputy president Yee Moh Chai as the deputy chief minister on March 23.      

The appointment paved the way for PBS to have two deputy chief ministers in the cabinet.      

Met by reporters at the party's monthly "bringing the service to the people" programme here, Liew said such powers were "not absolute."      

Yee, who is Api-Api assemblyman, replaced Peter Pang En Yin, who is now with Gerakan after leaving the LDP. Pang was dropped from the post on March 16, but retained as state Youth and Sports Minister.      

This has left the LDP with no ministerial representation in the state cabinet.      

- Bernama