Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister passes away

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Siringan Gubat passed away Tuesday (March 20). He was 68.

Siringan, who suffered and recovered from a heart attack in January last year, died at Gleneagles Hospital here.

Upko Information Chief Albert Bingkasan when contacted said family members rushed Siringan to the hospital after he complained of breathing difficulties at their home on Tuesday evening.

He passed away at around 11pm.

Siringan, who is Upko deputy president, is the second Sabah minister to die within a week.

Last week, state Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, 56, died after a year long battle with cancer.

The Ranau born Siringan was first elected as the Paginatan assemblyman in 1990 under Parti Bersatu Sabah before joining the newly-formed Upko in 1994 following the collapse of the PBS-led state government.

He continued to serve as the Paginatan assemblyman until 2004, before serving a term as the Ranau MP until 2008.

He subsequently returned to the Paginatan state seat in 2013 and was appointed as a minister by Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman.