Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal arriving for his first day of work on May 14 at the Sabah Administrative Centre. - AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
KOTA KINABALU: The decision by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to hold two portfolios in the state cabinet is seen as a ‘worrying trend’ by Sabah Bersih.
The electoral reform organisation said in a statement on Saturday (May 19) that the double portfolio was not something voters expected when they voted for change.
“The rakyat voted for change, the rakyat wants transparency and credibility,” it said.
Sabah Bersih added that the practice of the Chief Minister taking the Finance Minister's portfolio was exactly what was practiced by the Barisan Nasional government in the past.
“We respect the chief minister’s prerogative to construct his Cabinet, but it should be based on principles of good governance, where a chief minister should not (also) hold critical posts such as finance,” it said.
Sabah Bersih however added that they were willing to give the new state government the benefit of the doubt as they have five years to prove themselves.
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