Sabah cabinet: Ewon is DCM III, party hopper Jamawi and BN's Jafry ministers

 

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor's new cabinet has been sworn in.

Besides leaders from his Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, also in the line-up are Upko president Ewon Benedick, PKR's sole assemblyperson Jamawi Jaafar, and BN's Jafry Ariffin.

According to a list circulated to the media, Ewon (above) will serve as deputy chief minister III.

Above him as deputy chief ministers I and II are Dr Joachim Gunsalam and Masidi Manjun.

Including Hajiji, Joachim and Masidi, there are eight GRS cabinet members, and one each from Upko, Pakatan Harapan, and BN.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor

The full list of ministers and their portfolios is as follows:

• Hajiji Noor (GRS) - Chief minister

• Dr Joachim Gunsalam (GRS) - Deputy chief minister I, works and utilities minister

• Masidi Manjun (GRS) - Deputy chief minister II, finance minister

• Ewon Benedick (Upko) - Deputy chief minister III; industries, entrepreneurship, transport minister

• Arifin Arif (GRS) - Housing and local government minister

• Jamawi Jaafar (Harapan) - Agriculture, fisheries, and food industries minister

• Rubin Balang (GRS) - Rural development minister

• James Ratib (GRS) - Education, science, technology, and innovation minister

• Jafry Ariffin (BN) - Tourism, culture, and environment minister

• Julita Mojungki (GRS) - Women, health, and public well-being minister

• Nizam Titingan (GRS) - Youth development, sports advancement, and creative industries minister

Switching parties

Jamawi had only joined PKR shortly before nomination day for the Sabah election.

PKR’s sole Sabah assemblyperson Jamawi Jaafar

Previously, Jamawi won the Kemabong seat under BN in 2018, but then defected to Warisan after the election.

In 2020, he switched back to BN when Musa Aman staged a coup against the then-Warisan-led government. He later joined Hajiji's Gagasan Rakyat Sabah party before becoming a PKR member.

Jafry is reported to be one of Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin's lieutenants. Bung had previously had a falling out with Hajiji.

Of the GRS cabinet members, four have been implicated in the Sabah mining scandal, namely Hajiji, Joachim, Masidi, Arifin, and Rubin.

Arifin is also the son-in-law of Sabah governor Musa Aman. He previously served as an assistant minister.

No Star representation

Notably absent from the cabinet are any representatives from Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star).

Star president Jeffrey Kitingan

Previously, Star president Jeffrey Kitingan had served as deputy chief minister II. However, Jeffrey quit GRS before the election due to disagreements over the coalition's partnership with Harapan.

After the election, Jeffrey pledged the party's two assemblypersons to Hajiji, citing the need for stability.

Hajiji also did not fulfil a pledge to appoint a Chinese deputy chief minister.

Of those parties aligned to the government, there is only one Chinese assemblyperson - Ben Chong from GRS, who holds no leadership positions. - Mkini