Youngest Melaka exco holds Communication, Sports portfolio

Upwardly mobile: Chee Yee being sworn-in as state exco in Melaka. — Bernama

MELAKA: Kerk Chee Yee, the assemblyman for Ayer Keroh, is now the youngest state exco in the country.

The 26-year-old, who studied commerce at the University of Melbourne, will hold the Communications, Multi­media, Youth and Sports Portfolio.

He is the son of the late Kerk Kim Hock, the former DAP secretary-general, who died last August at the age of 61.

Chee Yee was sworn in at Seri Negeri in Malacca yesterday together with nine other exco members in the Pakatan Harapan state government.

The DAP, which held eight out of the 15 state seats that Pakatan won in Melaka, received a larger share in the state exco line-up.

Five of the party’s assemblymen were among the 10 state excos who took their oath of office before Melaka Governor Tun Dr Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

Apart from Chee Yee, they are state DAP chairman Tey Kok Kiew, who will hold the Housing, Local Government and Environment Portfolio, G. Saminathan (Unity, NGOs, Human Resources and Consumer Affairs), Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry); and Low Chee Leong (Health).

The other assemblymen sworn in are PKR’s Muhammad Jailani Khamis (Tourism, Heritage and Culture), Ginie Lim Siew Lin (Woman Development and Welfare), while Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen holds the Industry, Trade and Investment Portfolio. His comrade Nor Fendi Ahmad takes care of Education.

Parti Amanah Negara’s Mohd Sofi Abd Wahab is tasked with Public Works, Transport and Public Amenities.

Chief Minister Adly Zahari, who took his oath of office last Friday, is from Amanah.

He holds the Economy, Finance, Land and Religion Portfolio.

PKR won three state seats in GE14 while Bersatu and Amanah won two seats each.