“It’s okay, we wait for one or two days’ time but I don’t want to comment for now because I leave it to my president (Jeffrey Kitingan),” he told FMT.

Pressed if there was a federal position for his party, the STAR secretary-general said: “I don’t know, anything can happen … the swearing-in (for the federal Cabinet) is only on Monday, right?

“Let’s see in a couple of days, but I can’t comment because it would jeopardise our party’s position. I hope you understand.”

Guan Dee, 68, was made deputy tourism, arts and culture minister last April, filling in the position vacated by Kitingan who gave it up after becoming the Sabah deputy chief minister following Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s victory in the state election last September.

Several opposition leaders criticised his appointment as a deputy minister, calling it part of then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Perikatan Nasional’s “political survival” strategy. STAR is a component of PN.

Meanwhile, asked if he was upset at being left out of the federal line-up, Guan Dee said this was usual in politics.

“What to do … sometimes you have to swallow the bitter moments as well,” he said.