By Lian Cheng and Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Dec 30: Batu Kawah assemblyman Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian has been appointed a deputy chief minister in Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s new Cabinet.
Historically and traditionally, with the Chinese community being one of the largest ethnic groups in Sarawak, a Chinese was always appointed as deputy chief minister, with the practice starting in 1970 when Tan Sri Stephen Yong was appointed as one.
Apart from having a deputy chief minister appointed from among its members, the Chinese community was also given the responsibility of holding the portfolio of Finance and Infrastructure Ministry. As Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) is the strongest Chinese-based political party, appointed individuals, without fail, have come from the party.
Yong was the deputy chief minister for only one term following his defeat in the following Sarawak Election.
Dr Sim’s late father, Tan Sri Sim Kheng Hong who was elected then, was appointed to the position instead. Kheng Hong held the post for three terms, from 1974 to 1991 before Tan Sri Wong Soon Kai took over.
Like Yong, Soon Kai however, held office only for one term from 1991 to 1996 after being unexpectedly defeated by Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Wong Ho Leng at the State polls.
After the defeat, Soon Kai resigned as the president of SUPP with Tan Sri Dr George Chan succeeding him not only as the president of SUPP but also as deputy chief minister.
Chan held the position for three terms from 1996 until 2011. He faced the same fate as Soon Kai after he lost to a young rookie politician from DAP, Alan Ling in the 2011 Sarawak Election.
The year 2011 was annus horribilis for SUPP as the party was almost wiped out in the State elections.
Out of the 19 seats SUPP contested, it managed to retain only six seats, out of which four were the Bumiputera-majority seats of Opar, Sri Aman, Engkilili and Bengoh.
Of the 15 Chinese-majority seats then, the party only managed to defend Bawang Assan and Senadin, while losing all other seats including Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawah, Repok, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Pelawan, Kidurong, Piasau (where Chan stood) and Pujut.
In the same year, following SUPP’s defeat at the polls, no Chinese lawmakers from the party were appointed as deputy chief minister. SUPP was at its lowest, and rifts within the party subsequently led to a faction pulling out to form United People’s Party (UPP) which was later renamed as Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB).
In the 2016 Sarawak Election, the then Barisan Nasional (BN) Sarawak chairman Pehin Sri Adenan Satem implemented many popular policies and projects, which succeeded in regaining the confidence of the Chinese community.
In this election, SUPP managed to wrest back Batu Kawah, Piasau, Repok, and Meradong while defending Senadin and Simanggang. It added a feather to its cap by also capturing the newly created seat of Batu Kitang.
UPP candidates contested as BN direct candidates and managed to retain five seats comprising Opar, Bawang Assan, Bengoh (later Mambong), Dudong and Engkilili.
The combined number of 12 seats held by SUPP (7) and UPP (5) was enough to lead to calls for the appointment of a deputy chief minister from the Chinese community. However, as both parties failed to reconcile, the Chinese community again failed to see a deputy chief minister appointed from its ranks.
For the 2021 Sarawak Election, as SUPP managed to wrest back the six seats of Opar, Kota Sentosa, Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Tanjong Batu and Pujut, giving it a total of 13 seats, it is thus no surprise that its president Dr Sim has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister.
Sarawak Federation of Associations president Dato Richard Wee lauded the appointment as a sound decision by Abang Johari.
“The Chinese community deserves a Chinese deputy chief minister in view of the overwhelming support and the return of Chinese voters to the ruling coalition.
“We thank our Chief Minister for responding positively to the request from the community and the increase of Chinese representation within the Cabinet in general,” said Wee. — DayakDaily
