Former MP says up to S’wak, Sabah to make sense of pledge for DPM posts

Datuk Mutang Tagal

MIRI (Oct 28): A former Sarawak MP welcomes the pledge by both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) to appoint a deputy prime minister each from Sarawak and Sabah but says it would be up to both regions to make it count.

Former two-term Bukit Mas MP Datuk Mutang Tagal said with both coalitions eyeing Putrajaya and the two East Malaysian regions wondering whether the deputy prime ministers from Sarawak and Sabah will be given power, authority and clout depends on the bargaining power of the two regions.

“We hope that Zahid and Anwar mean what they say. They should not take Sarawak and Sabah for granted. Don’t push the issue beyond the red line,” he cautioned.

During an event in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on Oct 23, BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had proposed two DPM posts for East Malaysian lawmakers, with one each from Sabah and Sarawak, and a third from the peninsula.

Rival PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was also in Sabah for a separate event on the same day, said the coalition had always had the stance to appoint two deputy prime ministers, one from the peninsula and one for Sabah and Sarawak, should it win in the coming GE15.

Analysts have downplayed the significance and impact of the announcement in East Malaysia but Mutang said it could be considered an achievement for the two Borneo regions if it materialises after being in the Federation of Malaysia for some 60 years.

“It is what Sarawak and Sabah make of it that will finally count and both regions must make the DPM Office count by intense lobbying, not only amending the enabling provisions of the laws but also skewing Putrajaya’s governance policies to grant more autonomy powers to the two DPMs,” he said.

“This latest development in the run-up to the 15th General Election means that Putrajaya now recognises the growing power, clout and influence of the Borneo regions in the Federation, a fact underscored by both states playing the role of ‘kingmakers’ since 2018.”

Mutang likened the promise by both Zahid and Anwar Ibrahim to the English saying: ‘An unfulfilled promise is debt unpaid’, in view that the deputy prime minister post has been long overdue since the formation of Malaysia.

However, the promise by BN is a game changer for Sarawak and Sabah in this general election as the office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not only prestigious but morally appealing and carries with it clout and aura.

He looks forward to Sarawak and Sabah striving to ensure that they are accorded the power, authority and clout of the deputy prime minister post.

“Like the ongoing negotiations by the two Borneo regions with Putrajaya on MA63, the same approach should be undertaken by the two Borneo regions to ensure the relevant laws like the Federal Constitution and others are amended to give powers to the two deputy prime ministers,” he said.

from Borneo Post Online https://ift.tt/MBGsIcX
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