KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 ― Yamani Hafez Musa, the son of Sabah Umno leader Datuk Seri Musa Aman, is scheduled to be sworn in as Sipitang MP on January 7 next year.
The ceremony for Yamani Hafez comes a whole seven months after the landmark May 9 general election that saw the Pakatan Harapan coalition end the Barisan Nasional’s six-decade grip on government.
“This ceremony will be chaired by Dewan Rakyat Speaker, YB Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof,” the Dewan Rakyat Speaker’s office said in a statement today.
Musa is the former Sabah chief minister who was at one point a fugitive abroad, and who has been charged with corruption upon his return to the country.
Yamani Hafez has not been seen publicly for months.
On July 16, only two of the 222 MPs were absent during the swearing-in ceremony at the Dewan Rakyat — Yamani Hafez and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Muhyiddin was then on month-long medical leave, and was later sworn in on August 14.
Yamani Hafez, who went missing like his father, was warned that he risks disqualification if he fails to take his oath within six months from July 16. The six-month deadline would end in mid-January.
Under Article 59(2) of the Federal Constitution, a lawmaker will lose his seat if he fails to take his oath within six months from the date when Dewan Rakyat first sits after the election.
As for Musa, he finally showed up in Malaysia on August 21, missing a swearing-in ceremony on August 24 before finally sworn in on September 5 as Sungai Sibuga assemblyman.
Musa would have been disqualified as Sungai Sibunga assemblyman if he was not sworn in by September 11, which is three months from when the Sabah state legislative assembly first convened on June 11 after the 14th general election.
Musa and Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin are reportedly the only two elected lawmakers left in Sabah Umno, which on December 12 saw a mass exodus of senior leaders and elected lawmakers
Yamani Hafez has not personally announced if he would still remain in Umno, but Sabah Umno’s former state liaison chairman Datuk Hajiji Noor has claimed that Yamani Hafez has indicated his intention to leave.
