The vacant ministerial post left by Amar Douglas Uggah Embas in the federal cabinet must be filled by a Sarawakian member of Parliament, said Deputy Chief Minister James Jemut Masing today.

The vacancy is for a Sarawakian and hoped that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak would pick the correct person to replace Uggah.

"There are 14 MPs from Sarawak. Whoever replaces him must be a person who fits the bill," he said.

Masing was met by reporters after opening a legal firm, Ling Sempurai Hii & Partners Advocates, in Sibu today.

Asked from which party the member of Parliament would be to replace Uggah, he said he did not know, but if Najib so decided that his party - Party Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) was eligible, Masing would appreciate that.

Uggah gave up his post as plantation industries and commodities minsiter to become a Sarawak deputy chief minister, after the 11th state election last month.

Apart from filling the vacant post left by Uggah, the reshuffle was to fill the post of the ministry's deputy minister following the death of Noriah Kasnon, in a helicopter mishap, during the campaigning period.

Two ministerial posts in the Prime Minister’s Department are also vacant - one in charge of Pemandu and the other in charge of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU). Idris Jala, who was in charge of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) stepped down after his second three-year term as senator ended.

Abdul Wahid Omar, who ran the EPU, did not want to continue in the cabinet after serving one term as senator.

A new deputy minister for Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives is needed to fill the vacancy left by Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, who had become Kedah Menteri Besar.

- Bernama