Kota kinabalu: Seventeen Sabah assemblymen took their oaths of office as Assistant Ministers before the Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Musa Aman at Istana Seri Kinabalu today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, eleven of the newly sworn-in assistant ministers represent Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS). These include Datuk Joniston Bangkuai from Kiulu, Datuk Seri Ruddy Awah from Pitas, and Datuk Isnin Aliasnih from Klias, among others. Additionally, four independent assemblymen, namely Datuk Fairuz Renddan from Pintasan and Datuk Rina Jainal from Kukusan, also took their oaths.

Datuk Mohd Ishak Ayub, representing Bingkor from Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), was also sworn in as an Assistant Minister, although his party previously announced it would not join the state government. His appointment is understood to be in a personal capacity. Furthermore, appointed assemblyman Datuk Caesar Mandela Malakun was among those sworn in.

The ceremony also included the appointment of five nominated assemblymen, who received their letters of appointment. These individuals are Datuk Mohamed Razali Mohamed Razi, Datuk Chin Shu Ying, Datuk Roger Chin Ken Fong, Grace Lee Li Mei, and Datuk Abdul Kassim Razali. The Sabah Constitution under Article 14(1) allows the Head of State to appoint up to six nominated assembly members.

The swearing-in of the assistant ministers follows the recent appointment of Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as Sabah’s 17th Chief Minister and the oath-taking of 10 state Cabinet members. The new Sabah Cabinet consists of eight GRS representatives, with one representative each from UPKO, Pakatan Harapan (PH), and Barisan Nasional (BN).

In the 17th Sabah State Election, GRS secured 29 of the 73 seats. Other parties that won seats include Warisan with 25 seats, BN with six, Independents with five, UPKO with three, and STAR with two seats. Perikatan Nasional, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Malaysia, and PH each secured one seat.