Abang Johari: PBB Had Hoped For More Ministers In Federal Cabinet

Posted on March 31, 2008
Filed Under Post Election News |

KUCHING, March 31 (Bernama) — Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), as the principal partner of the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN), had hoped for more posts of minister in the federal cabinet announced on March 18, PBB deputy president Datuk Seri Abang Johari Tun Openg said Monday.

This expectation was based on the PBB’s delivery of all the 14 parliamentary seats contested by its candidates in the March 8 general election, he said.

PBB and the three other Sarawak BN component parties won 30 of the 31 seats at stake in the state in the general election.

Abang Johari said PBB had thus far not discussed the matter of its members of parliament included in the federal cabinet.

“We did not ask for more. But if Sabah were to get (a bigger representation), why not Sarawak as well? But we don’t demand,” he told reporters after chairing a housing coordination meeting, here.

Abang Johari, who is Sarawak Housing Minister, pointed out that PBB now had one federal minister in Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas (Natural Resources and Environment) though it had two ministers originally in the previous cabinet — Datuk Seri Adenan Satem (Natural Resources and Environment, who resigned) and Datuk Effendi Norwawi (Prime Minister’s Department).

PBB now also holds three of the nine posts of deputy minister allocated to Sarawak. The PBB deputy ministers are Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim (Agriculture and Agro-based Industry), Fadillah Yusof (Science, Technology and Innovation) and Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib (Tourism).

Johari also said that Sarawak, for the first time, did not have a minister from among the Sarawak Malay community, but added that “it is not my intention to indulge in communal politics here”.

Johari’s remarks about Sarawak’s representation in the federal cabinet comes in the wake of calls by Sabah BN elected representatives for greater representation from Sabah in the federal cabinet.

Sabah BN had delivered 24 of the 25 parliamentary seats contested in the recent general election.

Wise up, Abang Johari. You don’t demand, you don’t get, understand?

Without that 30 seats from Sarawak, and those in Sabah, there would not be a BN federal government today. Remind Pak Lah of that fact, and make that demand!

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