After stir over portfolio change, Bung gets infrastructure ministry

KOTA KINABALU: There was a slight stir over the change of portfolio for Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin barely an hour after he was sworn in as a Deputy Chief Minister and Sabah's Local Government and Housing Minister.

Sources close to Bung said that it had been agreed earlier that Bung would be made Infrastructure Development Minister, but just before the swearing-in ceremony before Yang DiPertua Negeri, he discovered that he had instead been given the Local Government and Housing portfolio.

The sources said during rehearsal an hour before the ceremony, the Lamag assemblyman noted that the infrastructure portfolio was under his name but when he returned for the official swearing-in ceremony, he had been assigned the Local Government portfolio.

Bung did not want to raise the issue with the Istana and TYT as it would have been improper, they said.

Subsequently, he decided to call for a press conference over the matter because he was unhappy.

However, Bung cancelled it when he was asked to meet up with Hajiji who had scheduled a press conference at 1.30pm.

The sources said that the matter had been resolved and Bung Moktar would get the infrastructure portfolio which was given to Karanaan assemblyman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who will now take the housing portfolio.

Newly appointed Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor played down the matter, saying that Bung was the state Infrastructure Minister.

He denied that there was unhappiness among Umno leaders.

“That is not right. Umno is here, ” he said, where Bung was beside him in high spirits.

Large number of Sabah Umno supporters and leaders had started to gather at Bung Moktar’s house ahead of his press conference, and it understood that Bersatu leaders from Kuala Lumpur asked that the deals agreed on be honoured.

Hajiji named six ministers in the 11-member cabinet. Five more expected to be filled later.