KUCHING: The federal government should give equal and the best treatment to its partners, Sarawak and Sabah.
In saying this, Persatuan Warga Islam Saribas (Perwaris) chairman Dr Bolhan Budeng said there should be therefore no problem or obstacle for the federal Cabinet to have a Sarawakian deputy prime minister.
He added that this will strengthen the relationship between the federal government and the Sarawak government.
“It is time for the federal government to have a deputy prime minister from among the Sarawak or Sabah MPs, or even alternately between the two states.
“As a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Perwaris fully supports any effort by the Sarawak government to get the position in the federal Cabinet.
“It is a paradigm shift in Malaysia’s development towards a progressive and dynamic country, which will help the federal government in successfully implementing the development agenda, especially in rural and remote areas in Sarawak and Sabah,” he said to Suara Sarawak on Sunday (Apr 17).
He explained that the appointment of a deputy prime minister from Sarawak or Sabah will reflect that the federal Cabinet is a real Malaysian family.
“And it should be achieved earlier either by the current federal Cabinet under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob or the new cabinet after the general election.
“I feel there is no question of whether the Sarawak government should apply or not for the post, as it is relevant for Sarawak due to various factors among which is that Sarawak has been key to the success and stability of the federal Cabinet.
“I hope the idea or proposal to appoint a deputy from a member of parliament from Sarawak will be taken seriously by all parties because of the huge positive impacts it will have on the development of Malaysia, especially Sarawak and Sabah,” he said.
