Both parties which collectively delivered 10 parliamentary seats to Barisan Nasional’s coffers were short-changed in the post-election federal cabinet.
KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) which were shortchanged in the post-election federal cabinet are hoping to re-instate themselves in the next reshuffle expected to be after MCA’s annual general meeting in December.
PRS which was allocated one full minister and one deputy in the federal cabinet, currently has only filled one post. The deputy post is still vacant.
In the post 13th general election federal cabinet SPDP was completely left out from the equation.
Both parties were shocked and disappointed considering they had collectively contributed 10 parliamentary seats to the national Barisan Nasional kitty.
To compound matters Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) which lost all its constituencies and only managed to retain one MP seat saw its elected representative Richard Riot made a full minister.
The major recipient of the federal ministerial posts quota went to Taib Mahmud’s Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu which delivered all its 14 parliamentary seats.
SPDP and PRS have also in the past drawn comparisons with peninsular based MIC which has two full ministers and two deputy ministers despite their miserable showing in the GE.
Thus Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s recent statement in London that he will decide on the empty Transport minister’s post after the MCA annual general meeting in December has fired hope.
(The post is temporarily under Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein following MCA’s pre-election decision not to take up any cabinet posts if it failed miserably in the polls.)
Najib reportedly said: “Whatever it is, we wait for the AGM first.
“What the decision to be made at the MCA annual general meeting (AGM) to be held in December. Subsequently, I will make a decision.”
SPD president William Mawan is now hopeful that in the next cabinet reshuffle Najib will accommodate the party’s request.
PRS wants more
Prior to the 13th general election SPDP had two deputy ministers – Jacob Sagan and Jelaing Mersat.
The party delivered to Barisan Nasional four parliamentary seats in the May GE.
Meanwhile PRS is aiming to fill their now vacant deputy minister quota and hopefully secure an additional post.
PRS has six MPs, namely Masir Kujat (Sri Aman), William Nyallau Badak (Lubok Antu), Aaron Dagang (Kanowit), Wilson Ugak Kumbong (Hulu Rajang), Joseph Entulu (Selangau) and Joseph Salang (Julau).
Entulu was appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department but Salang, who is PRS vice-president, turned down the post of Deputy Minister of Tourism.
He was recently appointed as chairman of the 1Malaysia Sarawak Advisory Council, which comes under Najib’s direct purview.
PRS president James Masing said the party had been “lobbying for an extra position” since the GE13.
“We are asking for a position which we rightly deserved. In spite of that we are allocated with one minister similar to those parties which obtained less than PRS.
“That’s not right. I hope that top BN leaders will give a fair consideration on next appointment, otherwise our supporters will be disappointed,” Masing reportedly told Borneo Post.
In the current federal cabinet Sabah and Sarawak collectively have an unprecedented presence.
In the GE13, Sabah and Sarawak collectively delivered 49 seats
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