Kota Kinabalu, Monday, 6 October 2025
The hurried dissolution of the Sabah Legislative Assembly today was apparently caused by a confusion over when the term of the Assembly would expire automatically under the Sabah constitution. The five-year term of the Assembly is spelled out in Article 21(3) of the Constitution: “The Legislative Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, continue for five years from the date of its first sitting and shall stand dissolve.” The key words are “first sitting.”
Speaker was correct
The Speaker was correct in announcing that the last day of the term of this assembly falls on 11 November 2025 because the first day of the sitting was 12 November 2020.
It should not matter that a gazette (dated 2 October 2025) had called for a Persidangan Khas (special meeting) because that gazette said it was issued under Standing Order No. 6 of the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly.
Standing Order No. 6 is to be used only “in cases of emergency” where the previous sitting of the Assembly has been adjourned during the term of an Assembly. It is clear that Standing Order No. 6 is not applicable in October 2020 during which there was no “previous sitting” because the 15th Assembly had already been replaced by the 16th Assembly after the state elections.
In fact, the Standing Order that is applicable in calling for the First Sitting of the 16th Assembly is Standing Order No. 15 which is to provide for “The first sitting of the House.” The immediately preceding Standing Order No. 14 provides for the swearing in of the newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly. The fact is that the first sitting of the 16th assembly was on 12 November 2020.
It is to be assumed that today’s dissolution of the Legislative Assembly is to avoid any possible dispute on date of expiry of the assembly and in time to have an audience with the TYT before the TYT departs today to the national capital to attend the Rulers Conference.
Datuk Yong Teck Lee
President, SAPP
Ex-Chief Minister May 1996 – May 1998
Issued by SAPP HQ