New Sabah ministers learning their new job scopes

KOTA KINABALU: Newly appointed Pakatan Harapan ministers in Sabah are slowly familiarising themselves with their job scopes in the state Cabinet.

Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob, the Sindumin assemblyman from Parti Warisan Sabah who was chosen to be the Education and Innovation Minister, said he needed time as this was a new portfolio in the state Cabinet.

He said education had been under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, but under the Pakatan Harapan manifesto, this was returned to Sabah to manage.

“It is too early to comment on what we are going to do or how we are planning to make changes.

“But we will certainly work closely with the Federal Government and federal agencies related to education and innovation, as well as vocational training, to see how we can help Sabah,” he added.

At the state level, Dr Yusof said they would work closely with the Sabah Education Department to make sure things would run smoothly.

As for Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wong, he said he would spend some time studying issues on health and the people’s welfare.

“I have just gotten into my office today. I have met some people who have been in this department for quite some time,” Wong said, adding that briefings were also being held.

“This being a new portfolio and me being a first time minister, there is a lot that I need to learn from those who have been on the ground all this while,” he said yesterday.

He said they would need to discuss the mechanisms and ways to improve the healthcare and wellbeing of the people.

“We cannot rush into things because we want to be able to deliver the best for the people,” he added.

The portfolios of Health and People’s Wellbeing as well as Education and Innovation are among the three new ministries introduced in Sabah’s Pakatan Cabinet.

The other is the Laws and Native Affairs Ministry led by Warisan’s Pantai Manis assemblyman Datuk Aidi Mokhtar.