By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Nov 1: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) wants to add 2 or 3 more Sarawak ministers from the current four in the Federal Cabinet to give weight on policy-making and implementation.
With that, Kapit incumbent Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi stressed that the 15th General Election (GE15) will determine how much say Sarawak has at the Federal level in order to ensure equitable development and rights do not drop down to the “second priorities” list.
“It is clear that the gap between Peninsula and Sarawak needs to be closed as best as possible.
“(But) The winding path will not be a hindrance in the pursuit of such determination, if every Federal government’s development policies are refined at the Cabinet level and emphasises Sarawak’s interests,” he said in a post shared on his social media today.
Nanta, who is caretaker Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), conveyed this message during the ‘Ngabas Kapit’ tour at Rumah Sylvester Panau near Song yesterday.
He emphasised that doubling the number of Sarawak’s ministers in the Federal Cabinet is crucial so that strategy and policy development is consciously formulated and translated without leaving out East Malaysia.
Armed with the voices of four ministers in the previous Cabinet – Petrajaya incumbent Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof (Senior Minister of Public Works), Batang Sadong incumbent Dato Sri Nancy Shukri (Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture) and Santubong incumbent Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Parliament and Law), apart from Nanta himself, he said they have carried out their mission and responsibilities as diligently as possible.
“Sarawak’s voice in the Cabinet to translate authority (rights and power in decision-making) in strategising the development of Malaysia needed to be doubled, so as to fulfill the Shared Prosperity Policy (WKB) 2030 drawn up by the Federal government.
“Don’t let the image of development be ‘just ornaments that colour the plan, but the truth is, it’s far from the fire’,” he pointed out.
Like the people in Peninsula, Nanta added that Sarawak also dreams of enjoying progress, with basic needs and facilities such as access to telecommunications, broadband services, roads, electricity and water supply and public transport, especially in the interior, must be immediately met. — DayakDaily
