» »Unlabelled » Sarawak cabinet remains unchanged BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

17:06:00

Sarawak cabinet remains unchanged BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Sarawak cabinet remains unchanged

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:33 PM PST

by Geryl Ogilvy Ruekeith reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 3, 2014, Monday

KUCHING: The post of second deputy chief minister remains vacant as chief minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem named an unchanged cabinet at the DUN Complex today.

The second deputy chief minister post was previously held by Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan who lost his Piasau stronghold to DAP candidate Ling Sie Kiong in the 2011 state elections.

Adenan's previous post as Special Functions Minister remains vacant. He announced that he will appoint a minister to fill the position at the right time.

Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang remains deputy chief minister. The ministers took their oaths of office in front of the Head of State Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and Adenan earlier today.

Print Friendly

We encourage commenting on our stories to give readers a chance to express their opinions; please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. While the comments here reflect the views of the readers, they are not necessarily that of Borneo Post Online. Borneo Post Online reserves the right not to publish or to remove comments that are offensive or volatile. Please read the Commenting Rules.

Wanita PRS to produce coffee table book on Dayak women

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:46 PM PST

KUCHING: Wanita PRS' special project bureau will be producing a coffee table book entitled "The Many 1st Dayak Women in Sarawak".

Its vice-chief Roseline Neging has been tasked to undertake this project.

"This bureau will engage some Dayak women professionals from various fields to ensure quality research and production of the book," Wanita PRS said yesterday in a press statement issued after their first meeting for the year here yesterday.

The meeting, which was chaired by their chief Senator Datuk Doris Sophia Brodie, was the third such meeting since the party's triennial delegates' conference (TDC) last Sept 22.

Other matters discussed in the meeting included issues and reports received from women and party divisions.

Immediately, after the three-hour meeting, a dialogue session was held between Wanita PRS and party president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing, touching among others, issues arising from the meeting earlier.

Their discussions lasted some 90 minutes.

Wanita PRS said they hoped genuine power sharing in the state would be looked into wisely.

"We are certain our newly-appointed Chief Minister (Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem) will see to it as it is important for a multicultural, multilingual, multiracial and multi religious state like Sarawak to have good political balance and equilibrium in the state administration to ensure Barisan Nasional (BN) continues to be relevant," said Doris.

She added that the majority of voters in most rural state constituencies were women and they were mostly Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters.

Meanwhile, Wanita PRS will be launching its Tebedu division on March 8 and Bekenu division on March 15, the press statement said.

Print Friendly

Opposition will be rejected in Balingian — Abdul Karim

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:45 PM PST

SIBU: Voters in Balingian state constituency will reject the opposition's brand of politics founded on malicious campaigning and lies.

This is because voters there are mature and know which party has been helping them, said PBB supreme council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah yesterday.

He was reacting to state PKR chairman Baru Bian's statement that PKR would field a local candidate and use the price hike as their weapon against BN.

Tagging themselves as 'underdog', Baru claimed they were capable of winning the hearts of the people there despite it being a BN stronghold.

To this, Abdul Karim, who is Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Asajaya assemblyman, said: "What else is new to PR or PKR?

"I thought they have been using price hike as one of their main campaigning issues in the past election and this one is nothing new."

He reckoned that PKR must have been looking for issues as propaganda the last few days and could only come up with the "price hike" again to hoodwink the people.

"But I can say…voters in Balingian are not stupid. They would not fall to malicious campaigning and lies of PKR.

"They know which party has been helping them and would be the umbrella for them in time of need," Abdul Karim said.

He pointed out that PKR was just wasting their time contesting the Balingian constituency, adding "the seat is already as good as ours".

A by-election will be held in Balingian as the seat fell vacant following the appointment of Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as the new Yang Di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak.

Election Commission (EC) secretary Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh had issued a statement that the EC would convene a special meeting on March 6 to discuss the Balingian seat.

Based on the 2011 electoral roll, Balingian constituency has  11,792 voters. In the 10th state election, Taib won with a huge majority of 5,154 votes.

He garnered 6,210 votes in a three-cornered fight with Datuk Salleh Jafaruddin, who stood as an Independent, and PKR first timer Suriati Abdullah. Salleh polled 1,056 votes while Suriati obtained 871 votes.

Print Friendly

Spewing baseless allegations dangerous — Lawyers

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:43 PM PST

KUCHING: No individual should make baseless allegations against others, much less challenging members of the Conference of Rulers, says lawyer Clement Wong.

He said any person who openly expressed dissatisfaction over any member of the Conference of Rulers could be charged with inciting hatred under the Sedition Act.

"If you have anything to say, you must have evidence to prove your word. Just because you have heard from someone about something does not give you the licence to spread the words," he said when met at Ching Kwong Methodist Church in Pending here yesterday.

He was asked to comment on recent discontent among some netizens regarding the appointment of Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as the new Yang di-Pertua Negeri.

Wong advised Internet users, particularly those who are active on social networking sites, to avoid sharing or posting statements without solid evidence.

"When you start stirring up negative emotions against any member of the Conference of Rulers, you are deemed to have disrupted social peace and may be picked up for sedition."

Fellow lawyer Alex Ngu chipped in that if the community had an issue with any member of the Conference of Rulers, they could, through their respective elected representatives, table a motion during the State Legislative Assembly sitting.

"If two-thirds of the august House voted to pass the motion, the Head of State may be removed."

Should the motion be withdrawn or rejected, Ngu said the last resort would be to obtain the Attorney General's consent to take action against the member of the Conference of Rulers.

Asked whether the people could hold demonstrations against members of the Conference of Rulers, Wong said: "Malaysians are allowed to hold peaceful assembly under the Peaceful Assembly Act."

However, he stressed that public gatherings must be organised in a peaceful manner, and not put public security at risk.

"If you are at a demonstration to express your views and feelings without violating public security, it should be alright. Still, it very much depends on the content of the demonstration."

Wong and Ngu are part of the six-member legal team of Ching Kwong Methodist Church offering free legal consultation on the fourth Saturday of every month.

Print Friendly

Constituents want new rep to have traits similar to Taib’s

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:43 PM PST

MUKAH: The people here want their new representative to always have their interest at heart and understand their needs – the traits that their former state assemblyman Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has.

Nonetheless, they are prepared to accept anyone fielded as PBB-BN candidate for the Balingian by-election.

One of them, Madzhar Ahmad Sunik, 63, said they would not have any problem accepting any candidate from PBB-BN.

"We also want a local-born and somebody who is experienced besides having academic qualifications.

"What is important is he must really understand our need to overcome our predicament," he said.

For PBB Kuala Balingian secretary Razali Sahari, 52, he said they want a leader who will not disappoint the people.

He assured that the people will give their full support to whoever BN picked as candidate in Balingian.

"Supporting BN is the right thing to do for our future and our children," he said.

Former deputy president of PBB Mukah Youth Karnain Ali, 46, said whoever was selected as BN candidate for Balingian by-election must have credibility and appreciate the people's struggle.

"We do not want a representative who only needs the people when necessary and is rarely seen in his 'kawasan' (constituency) when needed," he said.

Meanwhile, Balingian state constituency, which has 11,792 voters based on the 2011 electoral roll, fell vacant after Taib relinquished the chief minister's post on Feb 28.

Taib has been the assemblyman for Balingian since 2001.

Among those rumoured to be picked as BN candidate since the seat fell vacant are Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya and Akit Sebli.

Akit in his late 50s is from Kampung Petanak, Mukah and is PBB Balingian vice chairman.

Print Friendly

Pick the ‘most senior Chinese rep’ as DCM — Political observer

Posted: 02 Mar 2014 02:41 PM PST

KUCHING: The vacant deputy chief minister post should be allotted to 'the most senior Chinese elected representative' in Barisan Nasional (BN) for the benefit of the Chinese community.

Political observer Dr Chou Chii Ming said the relatively small number of elected representatives in SUPP should not matter when it came to naming someone for the second highest portfolio in the state cabinet.

"In the new state cabinet, a deputy chief minister should be given to the most senior Chinese BN YB to represent the Chinese community in the spirit of sharing political power.

"The number of SUPP YBs in the State Legislative Assembly should be disregarded in this case," he said in a text message here yesterday.

Dr Chou, however, stopped short of naming the 'the most senior Chinese BN YB' although Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh is the only choice as he and Datuk Lee Kim Shin are the only two Chinese assemblymen in the Barisan Nasional state government.

Lee is an assistant minister while Wong is Second Finance Minister and Minister of Local Government and Community Development and is more senior in the SUPP ranking.

Chou was responding to a write-up in a Chinese daily

yesterday speculating that PBB deputy president Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is also Minister of Housing and Minister of Tourism, might be appointed a deputy chief minister should there be a cabinet reshuffle.

Speculations of a cabinet reshuffle have been making its rounds following the swearing in of Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem as the new Chief Minister on Friday.

Last Saturday, SUPP president Tan Sri Peter Chin declined to comment on the speculation.

"I am sure as the chief minister, he (Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem) has the prerogative to appoint people in his cabinet. So I think we should respect that."

The other senior ministers in the state cabinet are PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing and SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom.

The deputy chief minister's post fell vacant following the shock defeat of Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan in Piasau in the 10th state election in April 2011.

Dr Chan was then SUPP president.

Print Friendly