Vacilliting Taib amuses DAP

Chief minister's cabinet reshuffle may only be done in December after the outcome of SUPP’s delegates conference

KUCHING: Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s delay in reshuffling his cabinet after the state election in April has amused Sarawak DAP.

“Sarawak cabinet members are useless as only one person will do the talking and make the decisions,” said Chong Chieng Jen, Sarawak DAP Secretary.

He was asked to comment on Taib’s recent statement that he needed more time to prepare a complete list as many changes have to be made.

“Sarawak can have 10 cabinet ministers or 30 ministers, and they amount to nothing as basically, only Taib does the talking and makes all the decisions.

“The rest are just for show. They are puppet ministers. So whether Taib is reshuffling his cabinet or not, it does not matter,” said Chong, who is also state assemblyman for Kota Sentosa.

On Thursday, Taib told reporters that the cabinet reshuffle has been postponed, but he was quick to add that the changes involved mostly roles and responsibilities of the various ministries.

“At the moment I’m still working on it and I require a bit more time to get it done because I have to do some adjustments here and there,” he said.

Taib’s problems is that even though the BN as a whole won 55 out of 71 seats it contested, its component member, the Sarawak United People’s Party suffered major losses, including the defeat of its president and deputy chief minister George Chan.

SUPP only won six seats – two Chinese seats and four Dayak seats, but lost 13 other Chinese seats. Taib’s headache is whether Wong Soon Koh, who retained his Bawan Assan seat, should be appointed as deputy chief minister.

To appoint him will further antagonise not only the Chinese voters, but also some senior SUPP members who believe that the Chinese community has rejected the party.

And not to do so will mean that Taib’s government is only controlled by bumiputeras. Taib, they say, is waiting for SUPP’s triennial delegates conference in December before reshuffling his cabinet.

One man show

He is waiting to see if Soon Koh will be elected as the president of the party. If he does, then he is likely to be appointed as deputy chief minister.

Chan’s two ministerial posts, the ministry of industrial development has been taken over by Taib, and the tourism and heritage ministry has been assigned to Abang Johari, who is also housing and urban development minister.

“Whether or not the cabinet is to be reshuffled, it does not matter. It can wait as only Taib makes the decisions,” pointed out Chong.

Observers agreed with Chong’s remarks that the cabinet reshuffle can wait.

It will also be interesting to see if Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing, who is land development minister, will be appointed as one of deputy chief ministers.

This is because he has the biggest number of elected representatives after Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu. PBB has 35, while PRS has eight.

Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party and SUPP have six each.

PRS members are anxious to know whether Taib wants PRS to be strong or whether he continues to bully the party.

The appointment of Larry Sng as youth adviser attached to the Chief Minister’s Office has been regarded as a slap in the face to Masing.

Masing kicked out Sng from PRS in 2006 after a leadership struggle. As he had no platform, Sng did not defend his Pelagus seat.

But Sng’s uncle George Lagong ‘defended’ and won the seat indirectly on his behalf.