KUCHING, April 11: State Cabinet ministers must be prepared to fight and lobby for support among their colleagues to get the necessary funding for their proposals, asserts Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing.
Masing in a statement today said every ministry is fighting and lobbying for state funds and it is the minister’s duty to fight for their ministerial vision and needs.
“Its not easy. It’s ‘war’ out there. If a minister refuses to fight, lobbying (sic) or is just plain lazy to fight for the funds needed, they will not be able implement the ministerial visions and proposals.
“He or she will render useless (sic). If that happens, the only alternative for the minister concerned is to quit. It’s payment ‘Tanpa kerja’ (without work),” he said.
Masing was responding to a news article on Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh’s claims that he was not able to do much when he was in the State Cabinet because he was always in the minority. The article was published today in a local English daily.
Masing, who is also the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president, noted each minister is tasked to propose projects within the purview of their ministry and it is up to the individual minister concerned to convince their cabinet colleagues on why the proposals are worth considering by the government.
“If u (sic) aren’t convincing enough on why your proposals should be implemented, you lost the fight to get the necessary funding for your proposals,” he added. — DayakDaily
