Ugak, Rubiah, Huang, Lukanisman among 6 GPS MPs appointed deputy ministers in Anwar’s Cabinet

By Karen Bong and Nur Ashikin Louis

KUCHING, Dec 9: Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, Datuk Rubiah Wang, Dato Sri Huang Tiong Sii and Lukanisman Awang Sauni are among the six Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Members of Parliament (MP) who have been appointed as deputy ministers in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Federal Cabinet.

Ugak, who is the Hulu Rajang MP from Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), has been appointed the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. This is the first time the third term MP held a deputy minister post.

He is also the first Iban to head the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Kota Samarahan MP from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Datuk Rubiah Wang is now the Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development.

The third-term MP worked as a Sarawak administrative officer until 2006, before being promoted to the position of district officer of Asajaya in 2007. In 2013, she resigned to run for the Kota Samarahan seat in the 13th General Election (GE13) and won.

Huang, who is the first term Sarikei MP from Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), has been appointed the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.

In the 15th General Election (GE15), Huang wrested back the seat for GPS from Democratic Action Party (DAP). He is also the second term assemblyman for Repok.

Lukanisman, who is serving his second term as a Sibuti MP, also from PBB, will hold his first Cabinet member post ever as the Deputy Minister of Health.

Meanwhile, fourth-term Limbang MP Datuk Hasbi Habibollah from PBB will return as the Deputy Minister of Transport, the first Federal Cabinet post he has held during the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) government under the former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration from March 2020 to Aug 2021.

He then assumed office as the Deputy Minister of Rural Development II in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under the former Prime Minister Dato Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob from Aug 2021 until Nov 2022.

Mukah MP Dato Hanifah Hajar Taib, also from PBB, had previously served as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) from March 2020 until Nov 2022.

Under the present Federal unity government, she will assume a new post – Deputy Minister of Economy.

With this latest announcement, there are four deputy ministers from PBB and one each from PRS and SUPP.

Anwar made the announcement of the deputy ministers which has now completed his new Cabinet line-up in a live broadcast on social media in Putrajaya tonight. — DayakDaily