List of Johor new exco members will be unveiled before May 15 - MB
JOHOR BAHRU, May 12 (Bernama) -- The newly appointed Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian will finalise the list of state executive councillors before May 15 to enable it to be submitted to the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
Osman, met by reporters today, said discussions with the chairman of each component party in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) would be held as soon as possible to find suitable candidates for the posts.
All this must be carried out soon as the due date of the swearing-in ceremony of the state executive councillors will be held on May 15, that would be followed by the swearing-in of the state assemblymen at the Istana Besar, here.
In the meantime, he would also appoint the new Johor state assembly speaker and deputy speaker.
"We have to resolve all this before the fasting month," he said.
"If the executive councillors are not being appointed then we can't do the job, discharge our responsibility because the people are waiting for our promises in the manifesto that will be implemented once PH takes over the state government,? he said.
Asked about the distribution of exco portfolios according to the PH component parties, Osman said he could imagine that it would be fair and justified.
"If we follow the number of seats won in the election, then it will be complicated, so we need to compromise.
"With regard to the portfolios, the fundamentals will not stray far from the ones that have been established at the central level but there will be little changes, for instance, as for myself, I will be responsible for natural resources and finance portfolio," he said.
He also stressed that under his administration, the state government would adopt a new leadership style, in line with PH.
They include setting the limit on the state expenditure by discontinuing the appointment of special officers, implemented by the previous government and seen as wasteful.
"We have our own staff, why do we need to increase our spending (for special officers' salary), and all that expenses paid by the government, we do not want to be wasteful," he said.
Apart from that, he said, the new state government had no intention to continue the concept of the 'Muafakat Johor', announced by the previous menteri besar, and would replace it with 'Harapan Johor' (Johor Aspirations).
"However, we will retain the concept of 'Bangsa Johor' as we are indeed Johorean who were born here," he said.
--BERNAMA
