SIBU: Councillor Mohammed Abdullah Izkandar has been tipped to replace Bujang Abdul Majid as the new deputy chairman of Sibu Municipal Council (SMC), with new faces expected to form bulk of the new batch of councillors.

When contacted by The Borneo Post for confirmation yesterday, Mohammed Abdullah was tight-lipped.

Mohammed Abdullah, 43, graduated in Bachelor of Commerce (Double Major in Economics and Human Resource Management) from University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

For the record, Bujang, a retired police officer, replaced Rogayah Jamain as the deputy chairman previously.

Meanwhile, in his Facebook post on Wednesday, Mohammed Abdullah wrote that Wednesday’s SMC full council meeting was the last for this term.

“Some will remain, but majority will end their tenure by March 31. Thank you for your service to the community for the past years and we hope the new appointed councillors will continue the efforts and contribute even more to the people of Sibu,” he said.

Meanwhile, it is learned that the official swearing-in of the new batch of councillors for SMC will be on April 2, which Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian is expected to witness and to be attended by Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Michael Tiang.

Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC), on the other hand, will see 13 new councillors for the 2023-2025 term while 19 are reappointed.

According to SRDC chairman Sempurai Petrus Ngelai, the swearing-in ceremony for the councillors would be held on April 3, starting 2pm, at SRDC conference room, which is expected to be witnessed by Dr Sim.