Malaysia's Sabah state gets new chief

Malaysia's Sabah state gets new chief

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (AFP): Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad yesterday appointed a new chief minister for politically- volatile Sabah to enhance federal control over the state, which was wrestled away from the opposition 10 months ago.

Salleh Mohamed Said Keruak, 37, was sworn in as the ninth and youngest chief minister of eastern Sabah state before his father, Sabah governor Mohamed Said Keruak, in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah.

Salleh's appointment followed the resignation of his 64-year old predecessor, Sakaran Dandai, who is tipped to replace Keruak as governor.

Salleh, a former civil servant, was chosen to head the state by Mahathir, who led the federal National Front coalition government to end the dominance in Sabah of the Christian-backed Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

The PBS's control of oil- and timber-rich Sabah eroded in February, following massive defections of its legislators to the National Front.

Mahathir had promised Sabah residents that the National Front would rotate the state's chief ministership biennially among its three main ethnic groups -- Malays, Kadazans and Chinese.

Sakaran, who headed the Sabah chapter of Mahathir's Moslem- based United Malays National Organization (UMNO), was chief minister for nine months after the National Front victory.

Salleh will complete the remainder of the first two-year period allotted to the Malays, officials said.

Mahathir is widely expected to call for elections very soon, although the National Front's five-year mandate does not expire until October. Officials said a firm grip on Sabah would be vital for the UMNO.