Another assembly sitting possible - Masidi
KOTA KINABALU (July 20): There is a possibility of another State Assembly sitting before its dissolution ahead of the coming state elections, said State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
Masidi made the statement when asked about the potential tabling of the Sabah Budget 2026.
He explained that the State Budget must be presented by the Finance Minister either before or after the state elections to avoid any disruption in government operations, including the implementation of programmes and the payment of civil servant wages.
'If the elections are held earlier, then I think we still have time to table the budget around November. But if the assembly is dissolved later, we might be able to table it around December,' he told reporters at the sidelines of the International Business Review (IBR) ASEAN Awards here on Saturday night.
When asked whether the budget would be tabled before or after the State Assembly is dissolved, Masidi said the decision rests with the Chief Minister.
On the possibility of another sitting before dissolution, he added, 'The possibility is always there.'
Previously, after the July 8 State Assembly sitting, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had hinted that it might be the final session for the current term. When asked by reporters if it marked the end of the legislative term, he responded it was 'more or less,' noting that all bills beneficial to the state had already been passed.
Political analysts expect the dissolution of the state assembly after Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) has held its congress from July 25-27.
They speculate that Hajiji is likely to call for polls before National Day on August 31 or after Malaysia Day on September 16.
Hajiji said that he would consult the presidents of all Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) component parties before making any move to dissolve the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.
The 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly will be automatically dissolved on Nov 11 this year if it is not dissolved earlier.
Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M Yahya said the five-year term of the assembly is calculated from the date of the first sitting of the 16th Sabah State Assembly, which was on Nov 12, 2020, making Nov 11 this year the end of the term.
Gagasan Rakyat, PBS, STAR, SAPP, Usno, PCS, PHRS and LDP are members of GRS.
PBS and STAR have called for GRS to contest solo in the 17th State Election.
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