The appointment of Upko’s Ewon Benedick as deputy chief minister also signals the GRS chairman’s recognition of the party’s backing and potential to pull more local support into his camp, says a Sabah UiTM senior lecturer.
The chief minister’s decision to appoint Upko president Ewon Benedict as deputy chief minister is also in recognition of his party’s support for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), according to Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah senior lecturer Tony Paridi Bagang.
“With Upko on his side now, Hajiji is hopeful that it will draw more local parties into his camp,” Bagang told FMT.
Upko had pulled out of Pakatan Harapan (PH), which has allied with GRS, just days before the election. Among others, Upko secretary-general Nelson Angang had said then that it was in response to the local sentiments for Sabahans to join forces.
The move came just a day after Ewon quit as entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister.
Prioritising Sabah’s interests became a battlecry in the Nov 29, 2025 state election, especially after the Attorney-General’s Chambers announced that it would file a “partial” appeal against a high court decision affirming Sabah’s entitlement to 40% of revenue derived from the state.
Bagang said that having won three seats, Upko will not only add weight to the “Sabah First” messaging but also help it regain trust among the Kadazandusun and Murut (KD&M) voters.
He said Hajiji’s decision to include Ewon in his Cabinet was also part of a bigger plan to bring all Sabah parties together, including those that were not originally in the GRS coalition.
“It fits Sabah’s style of politics, which is fluid and shaped by talks among party leaders,” he said.
He added that the move was also to have Upko replace STAR as a key KDM partner in the government.
Strategy behind the line-up
The desire to strengthen representation of Sabah-based parties in the Cabinet now leaves PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) with one portfolio each.
BN is represented by Umno’s Jafry Ariffin, who has been given the tourism, culture, and environment portfolio.
Jamawi Jaafar, who won the Melalap seat on a PKR ticket, has the agriculture, fisheries, and food industries portfolio. PKR is the lynchpin of PH.
Bagang said that despite local unhappiness with peninsula-based parties, PH and BN were included as a gesture of goodwill.
“It helps to keep Kota Kinabalu-Putrajaya ties smooth,” he said.
In Hajiji’s previous Cabinet, there were two PH representatives and one from BN.
Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi said Ewon’s rise showed Hajiji wanted to reclaim the KDM narrative after close fights in several interior seats.
“Ewon is a consistent and progressive KDM leader. (His inclusion) will help to boost GRS’s standing among non-Muslim Bumiputera voters,” he told FMT.
Awang Azman said the move also enabled Hajiji to ensure stability in a government that is without a big majority.
“It also shows that both Muslim and non-Muslim Bumiputeras matter in Sabah’s political dynamics,” he added.
He said that bringing Upko into the inner circle helps to consolidate the KDM vote under a single umbrella, reducing Warisan’s influence within the community.
STAR president’s exclusion no surprise
University of Tasmania’s James Chin suggested that STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan being passed over for a state Cabinet post was Hajiji’s way of expressing displeasure with the party for pulling out of GRS before the polls.
He said the move signalled that “Hajiji is in charge”.
However, the only other STAR elected representative, Ishak Ayub, who won the Bingkor state seat, has been appointed assistant minister of finance.
Kitingan had said that Ishak’s appointment was made by the chief minister and was not discussed with his party. However, he added, Ishak was free to accept it.
On BN being brought into the new Cabinet ahead of STAR, Chin said “nobody seems to know the real reason”, adding that even STAR insiders were surprised.
He said the inclusion of Jamawi from PKR in the Cabinet was expected, as the line-up was a “rehash of the old government”, referring to the GRS-PH Plus government formed after the 2020 state polls. - FMT
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