SABAH’S financial position is not as “rosy” as former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman portrayed it to be, said Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew.

She said Chief Minister Shafie Apdal was told this by state finance ministry officials in a meeting. She said it was why Chief Minister Shafie Apdal had taken on the finance portfolio – to clean up the mess created by the Barisan Nasional government.

“Shafie is quite concerned, but I have no doubt of his ability as the finance minister.

“I have no issue with it (Shafie being finance minister). There will be no timeframe as who knows what is going on in the ministry. Only Shafie knows at present,” she told reporters at a breaking of fast event tonight.

Liew did not say what kind of mess the state finances were purportedly in, nor did she say for how long Shafie would remain state finance minister.

She said the situation was temporary and Shafie would hand over the reins when the time was right.

Shafie’s assigning of the finance minister’s post has raised consternation among some people, triggering an online petition demanding that he give up the post.

A PBS state lawmaker said “cleaning up the mess” was Shafie’s lame excuse for taking over the finance ministry.

Kiulu assemblyman Joniston Bangkuai said the auditor-general had given the former BN government a clean bill for 16 years while ratings agency RAM had according the state administration a triple A rating for seven years.

He said the BN government had consistently announced a surplus budget from 2015 to 2018 and had increased the state’s reserves from RM184 million in 2002 to RM3.74 billion last year. – May 23, 2018.