Sarawak should have at least two full ministers — Academician

KUCHING: A pol it ical observer and academician says Sarawak should have at least two full ministers in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal cabinet.

Director of Asia Institute at University of Tasmania Prof James Chin, who is an expert in governance issues in Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia, said many people in Sabah and Sarawak would be questioning the lack of full ministers appointed from the two regions.

“Sarawak only got one but then you can argue it is because it is still under opposition control. But Sabah has three. Is it a signal to Sarawak voters that if they want more minsters they must vote PH in 2021? I suspect it is.”

By not appointing more ministers from Sabah and Sarawak, PH is playing into the hands of the nationalists who can now argue that Malaya is again ignoring Sabah and Sarawak, Chin argued.

“I personally think Sarawak deserves two ministers and three for Sabah is okay. In politics, perception counts especially in places like Sabah and Sarawak. Hopefully, when there is a cabinet reshuff le before 2020, Sarawak will get a second full minister.”

He was reacting to the appointment of Selangau MP Baru Bian as Minister of Works replacing another fellow Sarawakian Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Comparatively, Sarawak had seven ful l ministers at any one time under the Barisan Nasional ( BN) federal government. Chin said he believed Baru would be carrying a very heavy burden as the only minister from Sarawak.

“Not only must he design programmes to win over the rural Dayak voters to PH, anything related to Sarawak will end up on his desk.

“The expectations on Baru as Works Minister is tremendous and Sarawak’s rural voters will now be thinking that they can get instant roads and infrastructure. The reality is that land is still a Sarawak matter so whatever he wants to do, he must factor in the GPS politicians,” he added.