Government of Sabah explained

Sabah State Government
Native Name:Kerajaan Wilayah Sabah
Seal:Coat of arms of Sabah.svg
Preceding6:-->
Superseding6:-->
Jurisdiction:Sabah
Headquarters:Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Budget:RM 5.7 billion (2024)[1]
Minister1 Name:Hajiji Noor
Minister1 Pfo:Chief Minister
Minister7 Name:-->
Deputyminister7 Name:-->
Chief1 Name:Safar Untong
Chief1 Position:State Secretary
Chief9 Name:-->
Parent Agency:Government of Malaysia
Child1 Agency:10 ministries
Child25 Agency:-->
Keydocument6:-->

The Sabah State Government is an authority governing Sabah, one of Borneo states of Malaysia, based in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital. The state government adheres to and is created by both the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of Malaysia, and the Constitution of the State of Sabah, the supreme law of the State.

The state government has only two branches: executive and legislative. Sabah has no judiciary branch due to the federalisation of court system in Malaysia. Although Sabah has jurisdictions towards Sharia and Native Courts (and their respective laws),[2] [3] both courts are still considered a part of the state executive branch.

Legislative

See main article: Sabah State Legislative Assembly. The state legislature consists of only a unicameral house called the State Legislative Assembly. All 60 members of the Assembly are elected from single-member districts by universal adult suffrage. The Assembly follows a multi-party system and the governing body is elected through a first-past-the-post system. The State may appoint up to six nominated members of the Assembly based on conditions provided by the State Constitution.

The Assembly has a maximum mandate of five years by law. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri may dissolve the state legislature at any time and usually does so upon the advice of the Chief Minister.

Executive

Cabinet

See main article: Cabinet of Sabah. Executive power is vested in the Cabinet led by the Chief Minister. The State Constitution stipulates that the Chief Minister must be a member of the State Legislative Assembly who, in the opinion of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, commands a majority in the State Legislative Assembly. The Cabinet is chosen among members of the State Legislative Assembly and is responsible to that body. The executive branch of the government consists of the Chief Minister as the head of the government, followed by the various ministers of the Cabinet.

Ministries and agencies

Since 1 February 2023, Sabah State Government comprises the following ministries, which subsequently divided to following agencies:[4]

MinistryState agenciesAdditional charge of Federal matters[5]
Chief Minister's DepartmentState departments:

State statutory bodies:

State-owned companies:

  • Defence
  • Foreign affairs
  • Internal security
  • Other Federal matters
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food IndustriesState departments:

State statutory bodies:

None
Ministry of Community Development and People's WellbeingState departments:

State statutory bodies:

  • Consumer affairs
  • Unity and national integration
  • Health
Ministry of FinanceState departments:

State statutory bodies:

State-owned companies:

None
Ministry of Industrial and Entrepreneurship DevelopmentState departments:

State statutory boards:

State-owned companies:

None
Ministry of Local Government and HousingState departments:

State statutory bodies:

None
Ministry of Rural DevelopmentState departments: None
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation([6])State departments:

State-owned companies:

  • Education
  • Communication
  • Digital
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and EnvironmentState departments:

State statutory boards:

None
Ministry of WorksState departments:

State statutory boards:

None
Ministry of Youth and SportsState statutory bodies:

State-owned companies:

None

Head of government

See main article: Chief Minister of Sabah. The Chief Minister of Sabah (Malay: Ketua Menteri Sabah) is the indirectly elected head of government of Sabah. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor), who in His Excellency's judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of State Legislative Assembly. He heads the State Cabinet, whose members are appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negara on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister and his Cabinet shall be collectively responsible to State Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister's Department is the body and ministry in which the Chief Minister exercises its functions and powers.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lajius. Leolerry. Sabah peruntukkan RM4,104.35 juta untuk Bajet Negeri 2018. Sayang Sabah. 14 December 2017. ms-MY. 17 November 2017. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081447/https://www.sayangsabah.com/sabah-peruntukkan-rm4104-35-juta-untuk-bajet-negeri-2018/. dead.
  2. Both courts are under the jurisdiction of the Minister of State for Law and Native Affairs.
  3. [Constitution of Malaysia|Federal Constitution]
  4. Web site: Senarai Jabatan dan Agensi Kerajaan Negeri. Sabah State Government. 18 December 2016. 22 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180722035324/http://sabah.gov.my/main/ms-MY/Directory. dead.
  5. News: 2020-11-12. Penugasan Urusan Kerajaan: Pembahagian Portfolio-portfolio bagi Ahli-ahli Jemaah Menteri. ms. Warta Kerajaan Negeri Sabah. 2020-11-15.
  6. Web site: Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Sabah.
  7. http://www.library.sabah.gov.my/index.php/en/ Sabah State Library