KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has appointed a woman as the new state Attorney General to replace Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh, who resigned on Nov 23 just four months after his appointment in July.
Current deputy state Attorney General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof officially received her letter of appointment as the new state AG on Monday (Dec 28) from Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Nor Asiah, a 50-year-old lawyer and graduate of the International Islamic University Malaysia, will be the fourth woman to be made state AG.
The other women AGs were Datuk Kinnie Li Yun Ken (1968-1972), Datuk Mariati Robert (2013-2017) and Datuk Rose Zaleha Pandin (2017-July 2020).
Nor Asiah's appointment comes after Soh, who was appointed by the previous state Warisan Plus state government, resigned from the post in an apparent mutual agreement between the state and him.
Soh is now placed at the Chief Minister's Department as a legal advisor.
Another woman, Kota Kinabalu City Hall director-general Noorliza Awang Alip will be Kota Kinabalu City's first woman Mayor who replaces incumbent Datuk Nordin Siman, whose contract ends on Dec 31.
Noorliza, 55, a career civil servant, also received her letter of appointment from Hajiji on Monday.
In a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Department, Hajiji said the appointment of the two women was a reflection of the government's recognition of the capability of women.
"The state government will always give priority for women to head important positions in the state," he said.
“These appointments are among the measures we are undertaking to select qualified women, especially those senior and experienced officers in their respective departments or organisations to be recognised," he said at the event held in his office at the Sabah State Administrative Building here.
Hajiji said that the state government would focus on giving women and young professionals opportunities to play more roles in developing the state.
Nor Asiah, in thanking the state government, said there was a lot of work to do to update various Sabah ordinances including those for strata titles.
Noorliza said that her appointment as mayor was recognition of the role of women in the state's development.
“It shows that the state government recognises women and I believe that it will be an inspiration for other women," said Noorliza, who has been working with the city since 1996 when it was still a municipal council before being made a city in 2000.
