Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah
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The Sabah State Legislative Assembly ( Kadazandusun: ''Langga' Tinukuan Pogun Sabah'', ) is a part of the legislature of
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, the other being the governor of Sabah. The assembly meets at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Building at Likas in the state capital of
Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu (; formerly known as Jesselton), colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the ...
. This unicameral legislature currently has 73 seats representing state constituencies elected through a
first-past-the-post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...
electoral system across the state. Like at the federal level in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, Sabah uses a Westminster-style
parliamentary government A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of the legisl ...
, in which members are elected to the legislative assembly through general elections, from which the chief minister and the cabinet are appointed based on majority support. The chief minister is head of government, while the governor acts as head of state. The largest party not forming the government is known as the official opposition, its leader being recognised as leader of the opposition by the speaker. Members of the assembly refer to themselves as "Members of the Legislative Assembly" (MLAs) and sometimes as "state assemblymen". The most recent assembly was elected on 26 September 2020. 73 members were elected into the 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly. As permitted by the State Constitution, the Governor may add six more as nominated MLAs.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS; ) is a Malaysia, Malaysian Parliamentary group, coalition of Sabah-based parties. It was established in 2020 and then registered in 2022 by former United Alliance of Sabah (GBS) and United Borneo Alliance (UBA) compon ...
(GRS) coalition consisting of Direct Members of GRS Faction led by
Armizan Mohd Ali Armizan bin Mohd Ali (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: أرميزان بن محمد علي; born 9 September 1976) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who has served as the Head of the Organizational Body of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah :ms: Keahlian t ...
and Juil Nuatim,
Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Sabah People's Ideas Party ( Malay: ''Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah''; abbrev: GAGASAN or PGRS) is a regionalist political party based in Sabah, East-Malaysia. Founded in August 2013 by the late Ationg Tituh, continued by Stephen Jacob Jimba ...
(GAGASAN),
Homeland Solidarity Party Homeland Solidarity Party ( abbrev: STAR; ) is a Sabah-based political party in Malaysia. The party was founded on 1 July 2016 by Joseph Pairin Kitingan's brother Jeffrey. STAR Party was one of four founding parties of the United Sabah Allia ...
(STAR),
United Sabah Party The United Sabah Party or formerly known as United Sabah Movement (; Abbreviation, abbrev: PBS) is a political party of Sabah. PBS had been recognized by the people of Sabah as ''historical local party'' since 1985. The PBS was founded by Josep ...
(PBS),
United Sabah National Organisation The United Sabah National Organisation (; abbreviation, abbrev: USNO) was a political party in Crown Colony of North Borneo, North Borneo and later Sabah, Malaysia. The widely known Sabah's Muslim Orang Asal, indigenous especially Tausūg peopl ...
(USNO),
Sabah Progressive Party The Sabah Progressive Party (, abbreviated SAPP) is a multiracial political party based in Sabah, Malaysia. It was registered on 21 January 1994 by dissidents led by former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee from United Sabah Party. Form ...
(SAPP), Sabah People's Hope Party (PHRS),
Love Sabah Party The Love Sabah Party (Malay language, Malay: ''Parti Cinta Sabah''; Abbreviation, abbrev: PCS) is a political party of Sabah, Malaysia. The PCS is a relatively new party and was among 20 new party registrations approved by the Registrar of Soc ...
(PCS) and
Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...
(LDP) re-formed the government on 25 May 2023 and confirmation on 10 July 2024 ''(Originally formed in September 2020 as informal coalition and registered in 2022 as official coalition)''.


Lawmaking

In accordance with the traditions of the
Westminster system The Westminster system, or Westminster model, is a type of parliamentary system, parliamentary government that incorporates a series of Parliamentary procedure, procedures for operating a legislature, first developed in England. Key aspects of ...
, most laws originate with the cabinet (government bills) and are passed by the legislature after stages of debate and decision-making. Ordinary members may introduce privately (
private members' bills A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...
), play an integral role in scrutinising bills in debate and committee and amending bills presented to the legislature by cabinet.


Officeholders


Chair occupants

Chair occupants of the assembly are appointed by the governor on the chief minister's advice. Kadzim M. Yahya ( BN-
UMNO The United Malays National Organisation ( abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a conservative, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its inception in 1946), UMNO has been known as ...
) has been the speaker since 8 October 2020. He is assisted by two Deputy Speakers, Al Hambra Juhar (
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
) and Richard Yong We Kong ( SAPP) who were both appointed on 19 June 2023.


Majority leader

The majority leader is always the
chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
, who also leads the Cabinet. He is appointed by the
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
on the basis that he is able to command a majority in the assembly.
Hajiji Noor Hajiji bin Noor (; born 10 May 1955) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 16th Chief Minister of Sabah since 2020 and Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Sulaman since 1990. He is also the first official chai ...
( GAGASAN- GRS), MLA for Sulaman, has been the chief minister since 29 September 2020.


Minority leader

The minority leader is always the leader of the opposition appointed by the largest party not forming the government. Following the defeat of Warisan Plus coalition in the recent state election, Mohd. Shafie Apdal (WARISAN), MLA for Senallang, becomes leader of the Opposition.


Officers


Speaker and Deputy Speaker

The Governor, on the advice of the Chief Minister, appoints one person from the membership of the Assembly or, in deviation from traditional Westminster practices, from non-members who are qualified to be elected as members of the Assembly, as the presiding officer of the Assembly, known as the Speaker, and another person from the membership of the Assembly to be Deputy Speaker. The lengths of their service are specified by the
letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
that appointed them; however, their term may end premature if they no longer qualify for the membership of the Assembly, they resign, or the Governor terminates their speakership on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Speaker is also disqualified from the chair if they have any personal interest in another organisation; the Deputy Speaker does not need to vacate their office if they have such interests, but is barred from presiding over any matter that affects their interests. The Speaker or Deputy Speaker presides from a chair at the front of the chamber (opposite the entrance). A member who believes that a rule (or Standing Order) has been breached may raise a , on which the Speaker makes a ruling that is not subject to any appeal. The Speaker may discipline members who fail to observe the rules of the Assembly. The Speaker or Deputy Speaker remain members of their respective parties while holding the speakership, but they are required by convention to act impartially while presiding over the Assembly. A Speaker or Deputy Speaker who is also an elected member of the Assembly retain voting rights, but by convention does not vote in proceedings they preside over except to break a tie, only doing so according to
Speaker Denison's rule Speaker Denison's rule is a constitutional convention established by John Evelyn Denison, who was Speaker of the British House of Commons from 1857 to 1872, regarding how the Speaker decides on their casting vote in the event of a tie in the ...
. The following are the Speakers of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly since 1963:


Secretary and Deputy Secretary

The Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Legislative Assembly are
civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
s that serve as the chief advisers of procedural matters, as well as head the day-to-day administration of the Assembly. They serve a similar role to the
Clerk of the House of Commons The clerk of the House of Commons is the chief executive of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and before 1707 in the House of Commons of England. The formal name for the position held by the Clerk of the House of Co ...
in the United Kingdom, advising the Speaker on the rules and procedure of the Assembly, signing orders and official communications, and signing and endorsing bills. They are permanent officials and not members of the Assembly. The Governor has the sole power to appoint or remove them.


Other officers

The maintains the law, order and security of the Assembly, within the chamber and on the premises of the Assembly building. The Serjeant-at-Arms also carries the ceremonial mace, a symbol of the authority of the Governor and of the Legislative Assembly, into the chamber each day in front of the Speaker, and the mace is laid upon the Table of the Assembly during sittings.


Committees

The Legislative Assembly uses committees for a variety of purposes, e.g. for the review of bills. Committees consider bills in detail, and may make amendments. Bills of great constitutional importance, as well as some important financial measures, are usually committed to the , a body that includes all members of the Assembly. This committee sits in the main chamber itself. Committees can also be created for any purpose – these are known as Select Committees. However, the Select Committees of the Assembly primarily handle administrative matters of the chamber. For example, the Selection and Standing Orders Committee meet to select members of other committees as well as consider changes to the Standing Orders; the Public Petitions Committee handles petitions of any matter from the public; and the Privileges Committee considers questions of
parliamentary privilege Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made in the course of their legislative duties ...
, as well as matters relating to the conduct of the members. Committees need to be re-established at the beginning of each term.


List of Assemblies


See also

* Cabinet of Sabah


Notes


References


External links


Sabah State Legislative Assembly official website
{{Malaysia Current MLA Politics of Sabah S Unicameral legislatures