Musa Aman's birthday bash not three months long, says DCM

Summary

• The Sabah governor's birthday celebration will not be three months long, says state deputy chief minister Dr Joachim Gunsalam.

• He clarifies that seven events will be held in June, during Musa Aman's official birthday celebration.

Sabah governor Musa Aman's birthday celebration will not be three months long, said state deputy chief minister Joachim Gunsalam.

He clarified that the perception resulted from seven events being held in June during the official celebration of Musa's birthday and the actual birthday itself falling on March 30.

The state cabinet had decided to hold the official celebration on June 21, he added. However, he did not state the reason for the decision.

“The celebration will not be held continuously over three months; conversely, seven events have been planned in one month only, which is June,” he said in a statement.

He added that the budget for the governor's birthday has been cut by 30 percent compared to last year.

The seven events which will be carried out were traditionally held in conjunction with the governor's birthday in previous celebrations, he said.

Last year, he said, the governor's birthday celebration had 12 events.

Courting flak

Yesterday, The Star reported Joachim as saying that a series of events will take place from Musa's birthday on March 30 until June 21.

“In accordance with the Sabah Government Gazette, the official birthday of the governor falls on March 30, 2025.

“However, celebrations will continue until June 21, 2025, with seven official events taking place in Sabah during this period,” he was quoted as saying.

The misperception had drawn flak from Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking, who said that using public funds for an extended celebration is unacceptable.

Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.

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