Analyst believes Anwar will not give in to demands on cabinet line-up

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not cave in to the demands and hints of groups that certain MPs should be in the unity government federal cabinet, said political analyst Prof James Chin.

He said Anwar himself had already said that the next federal cabinet will be lean and to be filled only by competent MPs in efforts to resuscitate the national economy, and not to be filled just for the sake of rewarding parties.

“He will not cave in (to the demands and hints) and moreover, appointment of federal cabinet members is always the prerogative of the Prime Minister,” Chin said when contacted yesterday.

“I think everybody will need to take a haircut because of the trim,” he quipped.

Chin said this time around, Sarawak will not be getting the same number of full ministers in the federal cabinet because of the possible trimmed-down administration.

Sarawak had four full ministers as well as a number of deputy ministers in the previous administration.

The full ministers were Petra Jaya MP Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof (Senior Works Minister), Kapit MP Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi (Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs), the then Batang Sadong MP Dato Sri Nancy Shukri (Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture) and the then Santubong MP Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Parliament and Law).

Nancy is now Santubong MP after Wan Junaidi did not seek re-election.

Chin, however, said Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg would be sending a very strong message to the people in regards to Malaysian multi-racialism if he were to nominate a Dayak to be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister.

“If Abang Johari wants to show that he truly believes in what he says, that GPS is multiracial, then he should nominate a non-Muslim Pesaka member to be DPM. This is not only a powerful message to GPS but also to the whole of Malaysia,” said Chin, referring to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in which Abang Johari is the president.

Some Dayak groups have openly called for Nanta, who is both PBB and GPS secretarygeneral, to be appointed DPM.