Sagah hopes PM picks Bidayuh GPS MPs to be in Cabinet
Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn hopes the Prime Minister can accommodate the Bidayuhs from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the Federal Cabinet line-up.
He said the list of recommended names is the prerogative of the chairman of GPS Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and he hoped the Premier will include the Bidayuh members of Parliament in the GPS list.
“I also hope the Prime Minister will accommodate the Bidayuhs from GPS recommended by the Premier to be in Federal Cabinet,” said the Tarat assemblyman when asked on his expectations of the new Federal Cabinet lineup.
There are two Bidayuh MPs in GPS — Datuk Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo) and Dato Sri Richard Riot (Serian).
Willie is a member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) while Riot is Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) deputy president.
Under the previous Perikatan Nasional-Barisan Nasional-GPS administration, Willie was Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities while Riot was special envoy of the Prime Minister to East Asia.
In the November 19 election, Willie defeated his closest contender Diog Dios from Pakatan Harapan (PH) with a majority of 13,338 votes.
He garnered 29,457 votes while Diog gathered 16,119 votes and Iana Akam from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) obtained 5,578 votes.
Riot too had won the Serian seat with a convincing majority of 16,697 votes in a four-cornered fight against three other candidates; namely Independent Dr Alim lmpira, Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s Elsiy Tingang and Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Learry Jabol.
Both Puncak Borneo and Serian are Bidayuh-majority seats. The former comprises the state constituencies of Tarat, Mambong and Serembu while the latter comprises the state seats of Bukit Semuja, Kedup and Tebedu.