New Sabah ministers to be sworn in tomorrow

A swearing-in ceremony will be held tomorrow for new members of the Sabah state cabinet, Malaysiakini has learnt.

It is understood that the ceremony will be held at the governor’s palace Istana Seri Kinabalu at 10am.

Speculation is rife that Chief Minister Hajiji Noor is appointing three people to join his cabinet, namely Christina Liew (PKR-Api-api), Frankie Poon (DAP-Tanjong Papat) and James Ratib (BN-Sugut).

James is among the five Umno assemblypersons who dissented from Sabah Umno and its chief Bung Moktar Radin’s decision to rescind support for Hajiji’s leadership.

Meanwhile, a Sabah assemblyperson who declined to be named confirmed a swearing-in ceremony will indeed be held tomorrow, but he is still waiting to receive the official invitation to attend.

Hajiji’s office previously announced on Jan 6 about the chief minister’s intention to reshuffle his cabinet soon, amid various political manoeuvres to overthrow him and a falling out between him and his deputy Bung.

A change in seating arrangements during today’s special state assembly session further fuelled speculation that Bung will be sacked from his deputy chief minister post, though Sabah Speaker Kadzim M Yahya said the new arrangements are only temporary so the assembly chambers would not seem “empty”.

The changes entail moving Bung and several cabinet members from BN moved from the government side of the assembly chambers to the opposition side.

Pakatan Harapan assemblypersons, meanwhile, have been moved to the backbencher's row of the government's side of the chambers.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been trying to reconcile Hajiji and Bung, according to sources, but Hajiji is reportedly not keen.

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