By Joseph Tawie
Opposition DAP has described Taib Mahmud's cabinet
reshuffle as a 'shock sendiri' lineup.
KUCHING: While Barisan Nasional
(BN) leaders welcome the appointment of three “senior ministers” in the state
cabinet of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, Sarawak DAP not only ridiculed it,
but also described it as “shock sendiri” (self-satisfaction).
“It is a
‘shock sendiri’ and so ridiculous and meaningless,” said DAP secretary Chong
Chieng Jen, when asked to comment on Taib’s cabinet reshuffle.
The
reshuffle was announced after the April 16 state election which saw the defeat
of one deputy chief minister and a number of assistant ministers.
All in all,
the BN lost 16 seats – 13 of them are from SUPP.
Taib named
seven legislators as new assistant ministers.
These
include Len Talif Salleh, Julaihi Narawi, Abdul Karim Hamzah, and Robert Lawson
Chuat (all from PBB), Rosey Yunus (SPDP), Dr. Jerip Susil (SUPP) and Liwan
Lagang (PRS).
Taib did
not name anyone to replace George Chan as deputy chief minister, but promoted
Wong Soon Koh (SUPP deputy secretary general), James Masing (PRS president) and
William Mawan Ikom (SPDP president) to “senior ministers” holding more or less
the same portfolios.
It’s a ‘trick’
Asked to
comment on the senior ministers’ appointment, Chong, who is Kota Sentosa
assemblyman, said: “It is meaningless and ridiculous. What is most important is
the scope of work rather than what you are being called.
“Does it
mean you have more responsibility than the ordinary minister? Does it mean that
now you are a senior minister and before you were a kindergarten minister?”
“I will not
be surprised if you have super ministers or even ultra ministers when the next
reshuffle comes.”
He
described the “new” post as a “trick” to keep his ministers happy.
“The whole
thing reflects the BN mentality. It is a trick used by the chief minister to
make his ministers happy.
“After all,
the work is the same. You are still the head of the ministry.”
Not so ‘sad’ issue
On the
non-appointment of a deputy chief minster, Chong did not agree that it was a
sad day for the Chinese community when the community does not have a deputy
chief minister.
He said
even when there was a Chinese deputy chief minister, the concerns of the
community have never been addressed or solved.
He cited
the annual allocations to the independent Chinese schools that have never been
solved as one example.
Other
examples include the non-recognition of independent Chinese schools examination
results, the unsolved land issues, and unfair treatment of Chinese businessmen
in terms of government contracts, in education, and so on.
“With or
without a Chinese deputy chief minister, it is a non-concerned issue. The
Chinese deputy chief minister in the BN can only play a decorative role and not
a decision-making one.
“He has no
power. And the only good thing is that we have one less person to cut off the
ribbons,” said Chong, commenting on a statement by Wong that he is sad that
SUPP is not given a deputy chief minister’s post.
Reality lesson
Wong, who is
now Local Government and Community Development Minister, described as “sad”
SUPP’s loss of the deputy chief minister’s post which was left vacant following
Chan’s defeat in the April 16 election.
Said Wong:
“Yes, I feel sad, and not for myself but for the party and the community as a
whole.
“But then
again, I suppose we should know where we stand because based on our
representation, we got only six in BN, particularly the ethnic Chinese elected
representatives of whom there are only two.”
His
supporters who have been lobbying for Wong to be appointed as deputy chief
minister see that his chances of being elected as the party president in the
party election in November may be jeopardised.
His is
likely to square off with David Teng, the party’s treasurer for the number one
post in the party.
Source : FMT
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