Kitingan gets agency post despite pledge to stay out of Sabah govt

 The STAR president is chairman of the Sabah Agricultural Marketing Authority, a newly formed agency under the state agriculture ministry.

STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan receiving his letter of appointment from Sabah agriculture minister Jamawi Jaafar. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president Jeffrey Kitingan has been appointed chairman of a Sabah government agency despite initially saying he would sit in the opposition in the state legislative assembly.

Kitingan was appointed chairman of the Sabah Agricultural Marketing Authority (Sama) yesterday. He received his letter of appointment from state agriculture minister Jamawi Jaafar.

Jamawi said Sama was a new agency formed under the state ministry to support the marketing of agricultural products for the domestic market and export too.

After his party won two seats in the Sabah state election last November, Kitingan was reported to have said that STAR would serve in the opposition benches instead of joining the state government.

However, STAR’s Bingkor assemblyman Ishak Ayub was later made assistant finance minister, saying he had Kitingan’s blessing.

Kitingan, a former deputy chief minister, led STAR out of ruling coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah prior to the state polls. - FMT