Sabah STAR sec-gen confirms to swear in as deputy tourism minister today

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Guandee has confirmed that he will be sworn in today as the new deputy tourism, arts and culture minister. — Picture via Facebook/Datuk Guandee Kohoi

KOTA KINABALU (April 16):  Sabah’s Party Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) secretary-general Datuk Guandee Kohoi has confirmed that he will be sworn in today as the new deputy tourism, arts and culture minister.

The nominated senator said he is filling in the vacancy allocated to the party, which was vacated when president Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan resigned to become the deputy chief minister of Sabah.

“It’s not a new post. Basically this post was Datuk Jeffrey’s post and allocated to Sabah STAR and when he left, the prime minister said that they will find a way to fill it up,” he told Malay Mail yesterday, referring to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“Last December, I became a senator and he said I was elected for the post but there could not be a ceremony because the palace was closed due to the lockdown.”

Since the Istana was reopened for investiture ceremonies, Guandee said he will be undergoing the swearing-in ceremony today.

“This is just filling up a vacancy, not a new post,” he reiterated.

Sabah STAR is one of the component parties in Perikatan Nasional since the beginning and Dr Jeffrey became the deputy minister earlier in 2020.

Dr Jeffrey resigned from the post after the Sabah snap polls in September last year following a win by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah alliance of which STAR is also a part of, and his subsequent appointment as deputy chief minister. — Malay Mail