KOTA KINABALU: The special state assembly sitting scheduled tomorrow is a contemptuous attempt to derail the court proceedings initiated by Tan Sri Musa Aman to determine the validity of the two swearing-ins of Sabah Chief Minister.
Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor and Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, the Deputy Chief Ministers who were sworn-in under Musa’s ministerial line-up, claimed that the assembly sitting would be a feeble attempt to create a false legitimacy for Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as Chief Minister.
“The Notice calling for the special sitting is in contravention of Order No. 6 of the Standing Orders of the Legislate Assembly, which requires twenty-one days of notice to be given before the day of the Sitting, unless in cases of emergency the Yang Di-pertua Negeri may dispense with the necessity for such notice.
“Even then, the longest possible notice is mandatory to be given.
“In the present Notice, there is only six days and there is no event of any emergency,” they said in a joint statement today.
They also cited Article 21(4) of the Constitution of Sabah state, which states that the legislative assembly was required to convene not later than 120 days from the date of dissolution of the Assembly.
“The Assembly was dissolved on April 7, 2018 and the 120 days require for the Assembly to meet falls on 6 August 2018.
“If the TYT has taken and acted on the advice of Shafie, the TYT is acting upon the advice of an unlawful Chief Minister as Musa is still the appointed and lawfully sworn-in Chief Minister.
“It goes without saying that as the Special Sitting is an unlawful Sitting, all laws, motions and business passed and adopted are unlawful and null and void and of no effect,” they claimed.
Hajiji and Jeffrey further added,” As it is an unlawful Special Sitting, we, the assemblypersons-elect under Barisan Nasional and of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star), have all agreed to uphold the Rule of Law and the Sabah Constitution and we will not attend or participate in the unlawful Sitting.”