PH Sarawak won’t dwell on lack of S’wakians in federal cabinet
KUCHING: Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak will not dwell on the lack of ministers and deputy ministers from Sarawak in the federal cabinet, said chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
He acknowledged many are disappointed that there is only one Sarawakian minister and one deputy minister at present.
Chong said PH Sarawak will instead focus on the implementation of policies.
“That should be our main focus instead of the number of ministers and deputy ministers from Sarawak,” he told reporters yesterday.
According to the Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, the six ministers and five deputy ministers from Sarawak under the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) federal cabinet did not really benefit Sarawakians.
“Personal loss or gain or personal appointment should not be an issue for consideration. After all, we in DAP (Democratic Action Party), PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat), and PH, we got involved in our political struggles not with the aim for personal gain, but rather to bring benefits to the people of Sarawak in general,” he said.
He pointed out that the price of RON95 petrol is now maintained at RM2.20 instead of the RM2.30 based on the petrol pricing in February.
“There are 700,000 cars and 750,000 motorcycles in Sarawak alone. Each will consume about 100 litres per month. So there are a few savings for all vehicle owners,” he said.
He also pledged to lower or stabilise the prices of goods in rural and remote areas, which were higher because of transportation costs.
“Number one, we must continue to provide transportation subsidies or increase the amount, and the second way, which I think is most important, is to reduce leakages, that is the smuggling part,” he said.
The Stampin member of parliament said the ministry would also look to break monopolies.
On the impatience of certain quarters for the reforms promised by PH during the election, he said, “We are only in the government less than two months and the full cabinet ministers had only been appointed in less than a week. To expect a new government within two months to remedy all the damages that have been caused by BN and the mess that has been created by BN for the past 55 years, that will be too high expectations for any person or any government to perform.”