KUCHING, Oct 25: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) should demand that the post of prime minister (PM), as well as home and finance ministers, be given to Sarawak, says Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan.
“The GPS government needs to know that a strong Federal government occupied by ministers from Malaya will not give good bargaining power to Sarawak. Now, both Umno (United Malays National Organisation) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) hope GPS can join them to form the Federal government, with both offering the deputy prime minister post to Sarawak after the elections are over.
“A deputy prime minister post is not what Sarawak should want when matters are still controlled by Malaya. By not honouring equal partnership in the Federal government, we shall always be treated as a colony of Malaya. Suppose Umno and PH are serious about sharing power with the GPS government at the Federal level. In that case, GPS government should demand the position of the prime minister be given to Sarawak,” he said in a press statement.
He elaborated that the post of prime minister is important because it is the prime minister that controls and directs the functions of other ministers and ministries. Voon then added that the prime minister could not function if he could not get help from the finance minister to ensure funds are released for projects allocated to Sarawak.
“Umno and PH should realise that Sarawakians make better finance ministers. The record is there. We have strong financial health with huge reserves in the bank. It is my personal opinion that Malayans had not been able to produce capable finance ministers because they were not able to keep inflation in check, and the country is in debt. Moreover, our ringgit is weak compared to Singapore (dollar).
“Sarawak should also be given the post of home minister to ensure the country will be peaceful with no religious extremism and racialism that can disrupt development.
“Without these powerful posts, Sarawak’s presence in the Federal cabinet will be window dressing only,” he said. — DayakDaily
