KOTA KINABALU, Sept 28  -- Parties in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) have unanimously agreed to name Sabah Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Datuk Hajiji Noor as the candidate for the new Sabah Chief Minister’s post.

Hajiji, who is Sulaman State Assemblyman, confirmed the matter and that he would take his oath as the Chief Minister at Istana Negeri  at 10.30 am tomorrow.

"I wish to inform that GRS, consisting of PN,BN (Barisan Nasional) and PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) have mutually agreed to form a new state government.

"They have unanimously agreed to name me as the Sabah Chief Minister. We will fulfil our responsibilities and mandate for the people. I thank the people of Sabah for choosing the leaders from GRS,” he told a press conference" here today.

Also present at the press conference were Sabah BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, STAR president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary-general Datuk Jahid Jahim.

To a question on the state cabinet line up, Hajiji, who is also the Sabah PN chairman, said the matter would be announced after the swearing-in ceremony.

Meanwhile, Bung Moktar said the new state government led by GRS would stop the politicking and instead, focus on solving the problems facing Sabah.

“It is the responsibility of the new state government for us to together start taking steps to safeguard the people’s interests,” said Bung Moktar, who won the Lamag seat in the Sabah State Election (PRN) last Saturday.

Earlier today, the Sabah Information Department, in a notice sent to Bernama, said the swearing in ceremony of the new Sabah Chief Minister would be held at 10.30 am tomorrow at Istana Negeri Sabah.

In the state election last Saturday, GRS, comprising PN, BN, and PBS won 38  of the 73 state seats,   while Warisan Plus (consisting of Warisan, DAP, Amanah, UPKO and PKR) with 32 state seats, and the remaining three seats were won by Independent candidates.

-- BERNAMA