Wan Junaidi says more study needed on call for second DPM

PETALING JAYA: A federal minister from Sarawak says that a proposal by his party colleague for the cabinet to have a second deputy prime minister from Sabah or Sarawak needs further study, The Borneo Post reported.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was referring to a statement from Batu Kawa PBB branch chairman Ahmad Ibrahim, who told the Sarawak-based daily yesterday of the grassroots campaign being mooted by his branch.

The PBB branch called for a deputy prime minister’s post to be created for a non-Umno leader from Sabah or Sarawak.

“Batu Kawa PBB will bring up the matter as a branch resolution and we hope that PBB will consider the move as it is good for the state,” Ahmad was quoted as saying.

Wan Junaidi, who is a PBB supreme council member, said that such a practice has never been done in Malaysia and if the grassroots really want it, they will need to consider various other factors.

“If we wanted to go that way, we need to look first at Vietnam, which has nine deputy prime ministers. Their roles look the same and the position is similar to that of a normal minister,” Wan Junaidi was quoted as saying by The Borneo Post.

He added that if Putrajaya agreed to such a request from Sarawak, there is every likelihood that other states which contribute economically to the nation will want the same too.

“In political terms, it will be tough to achieve, and if the government decided that such a step will be taken, we will really need to look into it to ensure that its implementation will serve its intended purpose,” he said, according to Borneo Post. -FMT