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MIRI – Sarawak DAP has expressed concern that Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has appointed himself to helm a large number of key ministries all at once.
State party chairman Chong Chien Jen claimed that this is unprecedented in the history of Sarawak.
Even Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud did not given himself so many ministries to lead when he was previously chief minister for about three decades, Chong said.
He said that Sarawak is seeing this development following the new state cabinet line-up drawn up by Johari after his Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition maintained its hold on the state in polls last month.
In a statement, he noted that Johari has made himself the state finance minister as well as minister for other portfolios like New Economy, Natural Resources, Urban Development, Energy and Environmental Sustainability.
He said that each of these ministries will receive billions of ringgit in allocations for projects from the state’s coffers.
The Finance Ministry alone allows Johari to oversee the Development Bank of Sarawak and Petroleum Sarawak.
“To have one man in control of such financial allocations in so many ministries is unprecedentedly unhealthy,” said Chong, who is also the state assemblyman for Padungan.
“Even Taib did not hold so many portfolios when he was chief minister.”
Johari is also the chairman of GPS and the president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, the backbone component of GPS.
GPS won 76 of the 82 state constituencies in the December 18 polls.
DAP won two seats while Parti Sarawak Bersatu won four.
Chong also criticised the state cabinet for comprising 11 ministers and 26 assistant ministers.
“Are GPS so inefficient they need so many ministers and assistant ministers, or are these posts created as rewards for GPS politicians?” he asked.
Chong said that although Sarawak DAP has two representatives in the state assembly for this new term (Padungan and Pending constituencies), they will continue to speak up and fight for the interests of the people.
Sarawak DAP fared worse this time compared to the 2016 state election when it won seven seats. – The Vibes, January 3, 2022