KOTA KINABALU: The new Sabah Cabinet line-up will be sworn in on Wednesday (Jan 11), says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan.
Copies of a said "invitation" for the swearing-in ceremony at Istana Kinabalu at 10am Wednesday (Jan 11) have been going viral on social media.
However, there has not been any official notification of a swearing-in ceremony taking place on Wednesday.
When contacted, Sabah STAR president Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan confirmed that a swearing-in was scheduled for Wednesday.
"Yes, there's a swearing-in tomorrow but that's all I can say.
"If you want to know who will be in the line-up, come to Istana Seri Kinabalu," he said when contacted on Tuesday (Jan 10).
Sugut assemblyman Datuk James Ratib also confirmed that a letter of invitation for the ceremony had been sent out but that he had not seen it physically yet.
The move to go ahead with the swearing-in ceremony comes a day after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim proposed formation of a Sabah unity government.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, whose Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) managed to secure a 44-seat majority in the 79-member house with Sabah Pakatan and five Sabah Barisan-Umno defectors, has not said anything about Anwar's proposal to resolve the state's political stalemate.
Under the proposal, Anwar wants the GRS government to include Sabah Barisan led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, Parti Warisan under Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) led by Datuk Peter Anthony into the Sabah unity government.
However, GRS sources said that Hajiji as Chief Minister had the prerogative to decide on the state government.
Hajiji is expected to bring in Barisan's Tanjung Keramat assemblyman Datuk Shahelmey Tahya as Deputy Chief Minister cum Works Minister to replace Bung Moktar.
Sources said James, another Barisan dissident, was also expected to be sworn in as a minister while two Sabah Pakatan assemblymen – Datuk Christina Liew (Sabah PKR) and Datuk Frankie Poon (Sabah DAP) – would also be included into the cabinet.
Liew was a former deputy chief minister and state tourism minister under the previous Warisan-led state government.
Speculation is that Poon will likely to be one of three deputy chief ministers alongside Shahelmey and Kitingan.
Currently, Kitingan is Deputy Chief Minister II while Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam is the Deputy Chief Minister III.
GRS secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun is also speculated to be sworn in as state finance minister.
Masidi is currently the state Finance Minister II as well as the state Local Government and Housing Minister.