‘2 cabinet posts reflect Sarawak PH’s polls win’
KUCHING: The appointment of only a full minister and a deputy minister from Sarawak into Pakatan Harapan government’s cabinet reflected the number of seats won by PH in Sarawak in the general election in May, a political analyst said.
According to a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya, Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, previously the federal cabinet under the Barisan Nasional government had a representation from the Sarawak Malay community, Iban and Orang Ulu.
“It is more of a ploy in the form of ‘carrot and stick’ politics,” he said yesterday.
Awang Azman said this translated into a combination of “reward and punishment” to ensure that Sarawakian voters would choose PH in the future.
“If more people are to be appointed as cabinet members and from various ethnicities, then in the next general election they will need more Sarawak support for PH to win more seats,” he said.
Previously, Sarawak BN had eight cabinet posts, the largest among BN members.
Only Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian, who is Selangau member of parliament, was appointed works minister, while Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen was appointed Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism.
Baru said his appointment was a big honour and he was aware of the heavy responsibility.
“I thank Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for putting confidence in me and appointing me as the works minister.”