Sabah Cabinet gets down to work

KOTA KINABALU: The 11-member state Cabinet of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman reported for work yesterday. 

Overcoming the Sabah Barisan Nasional leaders' sentiments over the composition of Musa’s line-up, the state ministers and 14 assistants were at their respective offices as early 8am. 

Musa, who diffused any lingering unhappiness within his team by meeting several leaders, turned up at his 17th floor of Wisma Innoprise office where he has been at work since his was sworn in on March 22. 

He received a courtesy call from Indonesian consul-general Drs Kurniawan Roebadi and later held discussions with several senior politicians. 

Pairin (left) all set on his first day of work as he discusses matters with his assistant Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan at the Rural Development Ministry office in Kota Kinabalu.

Among those the state Barisan chairman met were Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Upko secretary-general Datuk Wences Anggang, Tempasuk assemblymen Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia and Datuk Masrani Parman, who was dropped as assistant minister. 

Before last Saturday’s Cabinet swearing-in, Musa had also met dropped Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Lajim Ukin of Umno and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup. 

No statements were issued on the informal meetings although the discussions were believed to have centred on the composition of the new state government following the scrapping of the two-year chief minister rotation system. 

Back in the state government after a decade, Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is Deputy Chief Minister and state Rural Development Minister, was briefed by ministry officials. 

“Poverty eradication is very important and a noble cause both by the state and Federal Government. That is why it is in my agenda to meet my federal counterparts to discuss things,” said Pairin. 

Two other new deputy chief ministers – Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk Chong Kah Kiat, the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, and state Umno secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin, the Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister – also met their respective ministry officials. 

Newcomer Datuk Masidi Manjun, who is the state Youth and Sports Minister, was straightforward at a briefing with his ministry officials. 

“I just told them to stop any nonsense and get down to work. We must stop pretending there are no problems facing our youths. There are problems and we will have to solve them,” said Masidi, the Institute of Development Studies chairman. 

Other ministers at work were Datuk Raymond Tan (Infrastructure Development), Datuk Rahim Ismail (Agriculture and Food Industries), Datuk Hajiji Noor (Local Government and Housing), Datuk Nasir Sakaran (Minister in Chief Minister’s Department), Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai (Resource Development and Information Technology) and Datuk Ewon Ebin (Industrial Development).