The Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) which has a minister post and two deputy minister posts, all held by Chinese, should have requested Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to replace one of the posts with a Bidayuh, said a state Barisan Nasional leader.

"What's the use of submitting the names of all six Supp MPs when the quota is still being retained even in a trimmed-down cabinet?" asked the leader, who declined to be named.

He said if Supp genuinely gave importance to Bidayuh representation in the party then it should have asked for this.

george chan supp 031106 He was commenting on the disappointment expressed by Deputy Chief Minister and Supp president Dr George Chan at the lack of Bidayuh representation in the Najib cabinet.

Supp's only Bidayuh MP Richard Riot (Serian) and two other Bidayuh MPs (Dr James Dawos- PBB-Mambong) and Dr Tiki Lafe (SPDP-Mas Gading) have also expressed disappointment over the lack of representation in the federal cabinet with regards to the Bidayuh community which forms about five percent of Sarawak’s 2.4 million population.

Although re-elected on a BN-SPDP ticket in the March 2008 parliamentary elections, Tiki was not re-appointed to his deputy minister post but was later appointed chairperson of the National Service Council.

Party did not push hard enough

Five-term Serian MP Richard Riot was not even appointed parliamentary secretary let alone to a deputy minister post. He has blamed his party for not pushing hard enough.

However, he had held the post of chairperson of Sarawak Rivers Board. He is now chairperson of the Malaysian Pepper Board.

Dawos, from PBB, is formerly director of the Natural Resources Environment Board (NREB). He is now its deputy chairperson and also sits in the boards of a couple of state-owned companies.

Dawos, who has been reported unwell and rarely seen in public, is one of the most promising Bidayuh elected representatives and has impressed colleagues with his performance in Parliament with his good command of Bahasa Malaysia.

According to party colleagues, his health may have something to do with him not being appointed to any ministerial position.

Although the Bidayuh is not represented by any of its elected representatives in the cabinet, however the post of state secretary is held by a Bidayuh Wilson Baya and one of permanent secretary posts is also held by a Bidayuh Ik Pahon Joyik.

On criticisms by certain BN Bidayuh leaders that Najib’s ‘One Malaysia’ concept was mere rhetoric, the same BN state leader told Malaysiakini that it is unfair and too early to make such a conclusion.

Malays unhappy as well

Yesterday, PBB deputy president and state minister Johari Openg said the Malay community were also not happy that no one from the Sarawak Malay community had been appointed full minister.

bn supreme council mt meeting sapp sabah issue 190608 taib mahmud Johari's views are generally taken to reflect that of Chief Minister and PBB leader Taib Mahmud who has so far refrained from commenting on the new cabinet line-up.

It is learnt that during his hour-long meeting with Najib before the announcement of the new cabinet, Taib had asked that a Malay be appointed full minister.

It was speculated in some quarters that he might have brought up the name of newly-appointed senator and former minister Effendi Norwawi or that of deputy ministers Fadillah Yusoff or his son Sulaiman Taib to be promoted full minister.

PBB senior vice-president Douglas Uggah Embas, an Iban, is the only full minister from PBB and is one of the two from Sarawak. The other is Supp’s Peter Chin.

One of the Dayak-based component parties Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) was also said to have pushed for one of their deputy ministers to be promoted full minister. The Iban form nearly 35 percent of Sarawak’s population.

Sarawak BN leaders are also said to be unhappy with the fact that although Sabah BN has won less parliamentary seats, it has four full ministers in the new cabinet.