George Anthony Ginibun Sabah Deputy Speaker

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk George Anthony Ginibun, 76, the crisis management manager of Parti Warisan Sabah, was sworn in yesterday as the Deputy Speaker of the Sabah Legislative Assembly.

The veteran politician and retired government servant took the oath of office before the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, at Istana Negeri here.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal; Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Jaujan Sambakong; Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Syed Abas Syed Ali; and several state Cabinet ministers attended the ceremony.

George, who holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration ( MBA) from Miami State University, dropped out of school when he was in Form 2 as his parents could not afford to pay for his schooling.

However, realising the importance of education, George sat for his examinations as a private candidate and after passing the Senior Cambridge examination he pursued his studies in the United States until he earned an MBA in 1985.

Speaking to reporters on his appointment, George said the news came as a surprise.

He said that upon his retirement in 1996 after serving the state government for 37 years with his last position as the chief executive officer of Sabah Credit Corporation, he had taken up gardening to keep himself busy.

However, when Parti Warisan Sabah was set up, he was determined to return to politics as he believed in the new party’s struggle. According to him, his extensive experience in politics, government administration and non- governmental organisations such as the Rotary Club would help him in his new position as the Sabah Deputy Speaker.

“It is my hope that for the next five years, the Sabah state assembly would be conducted in an efficient manner and that all assemblymen would cooperate in ensuring the smooth running of the meetings,” said the father of four. — Bernama