Sapp Believes Grs Rushed Dissolution Over Tenure Fears

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Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee believes today’s sudden dissolution of the state assembly was prompted by fears over a looming constitutional dispute on when the house’s term would expire.
The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president said caretaker chief minister Hajiji Noor’s move appeared designed to avoid any ambiguity about the five-year tenure of the assembly, which he argued was set to end only on Nov 11.
“The hurried dissolution of the Sabah legislative assembly today was apparently caused by confusion over when the term of the assembly would expire automatically,” Yong said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu.
He pointed to Article 21(3) of the state constitution, which states the assembly runs for five years from the date of its first sitting. According to him, the first sitting was on Nov 12, 2020.
“The speaker was correct in announcing that the last day of the term of this assembly falls on Nov 11, 2025, because the first day of the sitting was Nov 12, 2020,” Yong added.
ADSYong also referred to a government gazette dated Oct 9, 2020, which went viral last week.
The gazette called for a “special meeting” under Standing Order No 6. He argued the order was wrongly applied, since it is meant for emergency sittings of an existing assembly, not the inaugural sitting of a newly elected house.
“The proper Standing Order for the 2020 inaugural sitting was Standing Order No 15. The fact is that the first sitting of the 16th assembly was on Nov 12, 2020,” he said.
The Oct 9, 2020, sitting was held for oath-taking purposes, without the governor present, and therefore does not count as the first sitting, according to Sabah assembly speaker Kadzim Yahya.
The first sitting - with the governor present - took place on Nov 12, 2020.
In his view, the dissolution was rushed to ensure the caretaker chief minister could secure the consent of Sabah governor Musa Aman before he departs for the Conference of Rulers meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 7. - Mkini

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