KOTA KINABALU, Aug 26 — Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor today said a transition plan is already in place as he prepares to step down from politics after the next state election.
Hajiji, who has served as Sulaman assemblyman for eight terms, reiterated that after 35 years he would be contesting the coming polls for the last time but said it was too early to reveal who might succeed him.
“Yes, of course. But I cannot reveal that now,” he replied to reporters when asked about his leadership transition plan at a Du’at convention here.
“We still have a few years to go. Let us finalise it within our party,” he added.
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah president had previously announced he would not contest again, citing exhaustion from decades in politics.
“I’ve been an assemblyman for 35 years. The next five years, I think it’s too long for me… too stressful,” he said.
Hajiji’s decision is set to shape Sabah’s political landscape, as he currently leads both the state government and his own party, which is a key component of the local GRS coalition.
He has intermittently been hinting at retirement and said it was time for younger leaders to step up.
He took over the chief minister post after his coalition won the 2020 state election while in a pact with Barisan Nasional (BN).
At the time, he was Sabah Bersatu chief. Since then, he survived an attempted coup after BN pulled their support for him and has partnered with Pakatan Harapan.
