PETALING JAYA: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) assemblyman Ishak Ayub has been appointed an assistant minister in the new Sabah government, but his party president Jeffrey Kitingan will sit in the opposition bloc.

Kitingan said Ishak’s appointment was made directly by chief minister Hajiji Noor and was not discussed with his party. Ishak’s portfolio is unclear at the moment.

The former deputy chief minister said Ishak was elected by the people of Bingkor and STAR would respect his right to accept the appointment.

“STAR itself will not be a part of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led government. Our stand has not changed – Sabah should be governed by local parties, not coalitions that are dependent on influences based in Malaya.

“STAR will act as a responsible opposition. We will support policies that protect Sabah and oppose any step that would affect Sabah’s rights under the constitution and Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

“We support having the state government being fully formed by local parties. Anything less would weaken our bargaining power and Sabah’s future,” he said in a Facebook post.