With Adenan Satem’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) contesting in at least 40 seats out of the 82 at stake, the bulk of the cabinet members will be from his party after the election.
Trouble-free Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) should help Adenan form the state government. Dr James Masing’s party will contest in 11 seats.
With Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu’s imminent departure from politics and the uncertainty of the political future of two senior ministers – Wong Soon Koh and William Mawan, members of the public are asking who could be in Adenan’s core team.
Wong is United People’s Party (UPP) president, holding the portfolios of Second Finance Minister and Minister of Local Government and Community Development in the current cabinet. As his party is not a BN member, he may not contest on a BN ticket due to strong opposition from Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).
Similarly, Mawan who is Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) president and holding the post of Social Development Minister, may not also be contesting on a BN ticket because Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) is against his candidacy.
Like Wong, Mawan, party is outside the BN coalition. Nevertheless, Mawan is in the present state government.
Thus, with the possibility of the three senior ministers out of the line-up, all eyes are now on senior minister Masing.
Masing is PRS president and Land Development Minister.
It is almost certain that Masing will be made a deputy chief minister after the polls. What is not known is the ministry or ministries that he will take charge of.
Naturally his party members want him to be given an important portfolio.
In the state cabinet, two ministries are very important – the ministry of finance and the ministry of resource planning and environment which looks after land, timber, water and energy resources.
All this while Masing has been holding the land development ministry with little power; and with little power he is unable to help the rural community even if he wants to do so.
William Mawan
For example, any application to develop state and native customary rights (NCR) land by his ministry on a bigger scale, such as to plant oil palm and rubber needs, approval from the ministry of resource planning and environment through the State Planning Authority, the Land and Survey and NCR land development task force.
The chief minister is the minister in-charge, but most of the work and decisions are made by the Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.
I was told that several applications from big investors to develop NCR land have been pushed to KIV trays and this has caused a lot of frustration.
Even for lands developed under Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) Masing has little say due to the chairmanship of the board held by Jabu.
Although junior in terms of rank in the ministerial hierarchy compared to Masing’s portfolio, Awang Tengah is the second most powerful minister in the cabinet after Adenan.
Besides holding the post of Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment, Awang Tengah is also heading the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Ministry of Industrial Development.
He is authorised to announce development projects worth millions of ringgit, and to negotiate with foreign dignitaries on investments in the state.
Not even Jabu, who is also Modernisation of Agriculture Minister and the Minister of Rural Development, can beat Awang Tengah in terms of “authority and power”.
As a Dayak-based party, PRS which is the offspring of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), wants to play a greater role and have a big say in the development of the rural areas.
The rural areas have remained neglected even though Sarawak has achieved its independence within the federation of Malaysia for more than 52 years. Some of the remote areas are without proper roads, electricity, clean water and health services.
The Dayaks in the rural areas are reported to be the poorest in the state, the reason being that they do not have leaders who dare initiate economic master plans.
After the election, the hopes of the Dayaks are on Masing.
They feel that if Adenan is really serious in transforming the rural areas, he is the man that they should look up to.
By assigning Masing to an important ministry, Adenan should recognise the role that Masing and his party play in delivering the rural constituencies to BN.
Without PRS’ support, Adenan’s government may not be that strong and stable.
Currently, Masing can only be vocal in his fight for the rights and interests of the Dayak community. That is all.
Nobody in authority listens to him.
But as the party that is rural-based, he has to speak about issues that affect the Dayak community because Dayak professionals and non-governmental organisations are exerting pressure on him.
These groups which include Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association, Dayak National Congress, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association, Gagasan Anak Dayak Sarawak, Sarawak Native land rights network, Save Rivers Sarawak Network and Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia are powerful and influential.
They demand something to be done to help the Dayaks in education, scholarships, applications to universities, economic development, and recruitment into the civil service, including the teaching profession.
As Masing has often warned, these groups can destablise the support of Dayaks for BN in the rural areas.
But without a “powerful” ministry, Masing cannot walk the talk.
He needs to be given the “power” to appease these groups.
But will Adenan give that power to Masing? - http://theantdaily.com/
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