KUCHING, May 3 (Bernama) — Twelve assistant ministers, who retained their respective seats in the April 16 Sarawak election, were sworn in as assistant ministers in the new state cabinet here today.
Six were from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and two each from Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
They are:
- Datuk Gramong Juna (Assistant Minister of Rural Development)
- Datuk Francis Harden (Assistant Minister of Land Development)
- Datuk Lee Kim Shin (Assistant Minister of Communication and Assistant Minister for Sports)
- Sylvester Entri Muran (Assistant Minister of Public Utilities for Water Supply)
- Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman (Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) as well as assistant minister for Industrial Development (Promotion and Development of Industrial Estates)
- Mohd Naroden Majais (Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Entrepreneur Development) as well as Assistant Minister of Planning and Resource Management)
- John Sikie Tayai (Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office for Rural District Councils)
- Abdul Wahab Aziz (Assistant Minister of Housing and Urban Development as well as Assistant Minister of Rural Development)
- Datuk Talib Zulpilip (Assistant Minister of Tourism and Heritage)
- Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie (Assistant Minister of Environment and Public Health)
- Mong Dagang (Assistant Minister of Tourism and Heritage as well as Assistant Minister of Modernization of Agriculture (Research and Coordination)
- Dr Stephen Rundi Utom (Assistant Minister of Public Health and Public Utilities)
They took their oath of office before Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng, witnessed by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the new Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building here today.
Also present were Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, SUPP president, Tan Sri Dr George Chan and Sarawak State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Mohd Asfia Awang Nasar.
Taib, who is also Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and PBB President, said the cabinet line-up was ‘a temporary measure” pending a reshuffle.
“I’m not ready yet (for a cabinet reshuffle),” he told reporters after the ceremony.
Three Assistant Ministers were voted out in the election, Sarawak’s 10th.
They were SPDP deputy president and assistant minister of Modernization of Agriculture (Farmers Organisations and Cooperatives), Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie; Datuk David Teng (Assistant Minister of Agriculture) and Tan Joo Phoi (Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Environment).
Three assistant ministers were dropped as Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates namely Larry Sng (Pelagus), Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck (Dudong) and Datuk Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen (Demak Laut).
On April 18, eight former state ministers, who also retained their respective seats in the election, were sworn in as members of the new state
cabinet.
The ministers are Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Datuk Seri Michael Manyin, Datuk Seri Dr James Masing, Datuk Seri William Mawan, Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh and Datin Fatimah Abdullah.
The only exception from the previous line-up was Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who lost his Piasau seat in the polls. — BERNAMA