MIRI – Local opposition outfit Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) has called on components of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to stop lobbying for the deputy prime minister’s (DPM) and other federal cabinet posts and instead focus on tackling the surging costs of living.
PSB vice-president Datuk Lawrence Lai said that while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is doing the right thing by making the grassroots his priority, certain GPS politicians seem to have their sights on high positions and power.
Lai, who is a lawyer and former Miri mayor, said fighting for posts should no longer be the concern of Sarawak politicians.
“Anwar did not zoom in on portfolios or consolidating powerful positions, but instead had set his sights on the grassroots (and) rakyat as his very first mission after taking office.
“PSB gives him top marks for that,” he said in an interview with The Vibes.
Lai said that politicians from GPS, which currently rules Sarawak, will do well to learn from Anwar.
He said that for the past week or so after the 15th general election, GPS parties and their supporters have been involved in intensive lobbying for the DPM and other senior cabinet posts.
“They have not even talked about what GPS intends to do to stop the surging costs of living in Sarawak.
“GPS leaders must tell us rakyat what immediate steps the state government can take to stop the rising prices of essentials like food and construction materials for housing, because many of these items are state-controlled,” said Lai.
Lai cited cement and wood products as among housing construction essentials that the state government can directly decide on lowering the prices for.
GPS component Parti Rakyat Sarawak, has openly voiced its desire to see a Dayak MP be appointed as a DPM, specifically pointing to Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, the coalition’s secretary-general.
Nanta, the MP for Kapit, is also the secretary-general of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, a fellow GPS component.
Another opposition outfit, Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak, has also called for a DPM position to be given to a non-Muslim from East Malaysia.
Anwar is expected to announce his cabinet lineup soon after ascending to the highest post in government, following the 15th general election.
Speculations are rife that he may have two DPMs; one of them being from GPS, which won 23 of the 31 parliamentary seats in the state. – The Vibes, November 28, 2022
