By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Nov 24: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong argued today that replacing underperforming ministers is a far more responsible solution than enlarging the Sarawak Cabinet at taxpayers’ expense, highlighting that claims of ministers being overworked and overburdened are unjustified when there are already 27 deputy ministers who should not be treated as mere “pasu bunga” (decorative positions).
She made her remarks during the debate on the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2025, specifically the amendment to Article 6(3), which seeks to allow the appointment of up to four additional members of the Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri (MMKN) or Sarawak Cabinet in the State Legislative Assembly (DUS).
Yong questioned the government’s justification that Cabinet expansion would “strengthen the machinery of the State government,” pointing out that the presence of unlimited deputy ministers is already intended to ease ministers’ workloads.
“If deputies can be appointed without limit, their very purpose is to assist and ease ministers’ workloads. Yet today we are told ministers are overburdened and the solution is to add more ministers instead of empowering the deputies already available.
“What message does this send? Are we admitting that these deputy ministers are ineffective? Are we saying they are redundant? Definitely not. Or is the administrative structure itself failing to delegate responsibilities properly?” she asked.
She criticised claims that long ministerial winding-up speeches justify Cabinet enlargement, describing such arguments as “superficial” and noting that lengthy speeches are an administrative choice rather than a consequence of workload.
“In my view, this cannot be accepted as a reason to fatten the size of the Cabinet. It just doesn’t hold water. Speaker, I really pity you sitting up there for long hours listening to the long speeches.
“Furthermore, does it mean winding-up speech will be shortened if more ministers are appointed to give the speeches? A winding-up speech is long because the ministries choose to make it long. Why can’t ministries prepare concise, precise, relevant speeches? Why must inefficiency in drafting be used to justify expanding the Cabinet?” she asked.
Yong stressed that a well-structured ministry with clear delegation, supported by properly utilised deputy ministers, would not need to stretch speeches into hours.
She also highlighted that the amendment would not change ministry names or functions but only increase the number of ministers and questioned how this would improve performance.
“This risks creating a larger Cabinet without solving the root problem; inefficiency in structure, delegation, and communication,” she said.
Taking aim at the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Yong criticised that despite having two deputies and 29 local councils, persistent issues from delayed housing projects to unresolved public complaints remain unaddressed.
“With that level of machinery, no minister can claim they are overworked. That excuse is baseless. The only reasonable conclusion is that the ministry is poorly led, poorly managed, and poorly prioritised,” she said.
She emphasised that adding ministers without addressing performance risks masking incompetence rather than solving it.
“Replacing underperforming ministers with capable ones is a far more responsible solution than enlarging the State Cabinet at the expense of taxpayers,” she added.
Yong also stressed the financial implications of increasing the Cabinet, noting that each additional minister brings substantial costs in salaries, allowances, offices, vehicles, and operational budgets.
She urged a careful assessment of workload distribution and effective utilisation of deputy ministers before considering expansion.
Concluding her speech, Yong said the Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak supports strengthening state administration but opposed the Bill, urging the government to focus on efficiency, accountability, and capable leadership rather than unnecessary Cabinet enlargement for convenience or political expediency. — DayakDaily
