Sarawak party rejects deputy minister’s post for president
Larissa Lumandan
-March 10, 2020 10:35 PM
FMT
Progressive Democratic Party president Tiong King Sing was named deputy national unity minister yesterday. (Bernama pic)
KUCHING: The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) today said it rejected the post of deputy national unity minister offered to its president Tiong King Sing, describing it as a “letdown”.
Tiong, a five-term Bintulu MP, was reported to be absent at the swearing-in ceremony for new ministers and deputy ministers at Istana Melawati in Putrajaya today.
PDP secretary-general Nelson Balang Rining said Tiong, being a senior MP, should have been given a minister’s post.
He said going by the concept of power sharing, the president of PDP, a component of Sarawak’s ruling GPS, “qualifies to be a full minister”.
“Giving him a deputy minister’s post is a letdown for PDP and GPS,” he said.
Balang said the decision to reject the post was made by the party’s supreme council members. “It’s not his (Tiong’s) personal decision,” he said.
He said PDP, which had supported Muhyiddin Yassin to lead the country as prime minister, would leave it to Muhyiddin to decide who will fill the position.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin appointed four full ministers and 11 deputy ministers from Sarawak in his Cabinet line-up, including former state PKR leaders Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo) and Ali Biju (Saratok).
Progressive Democratic Party president Tiong King Sing was named deputy national unity minister yesterday. (Bernama pic)KUCHING: The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) today said it rejected the post of deputy national unity minister offered to its president Tiong King Sing, describing it as a “letdown”.
Tiong, a five-term Bintulu MP, was reported to be absent at the swearing-in ceremony for new ministers and deputy ministers at Istana Melawati in Putrajaya today.
PDP secretary-general Nelson Balang Rining said Tiong, being a senior MP, should have been given a minister’s post.
He said going by the concept of power sharing, the president of PDP, a component of Sarawak’s ruling GPS, “qualifies to be a full minister”.
“Giving him a deputy minister’s post is a letdown for PDP and GPS,” he said.
Balang said the decision to reject the post was made by the party’s supreme council members. “It’s not his (Tiong’s) personal decision,” he said.
He said PDP, which had supported Muhyiddin Yassin to lead the country as prime minister, would leave it to Muhyiddin to decide who will fill the position.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin appointed four full ministers and 11 deputy ministers from Sarawak in his Cabinet line-up, including former state PKR leaders Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo) and Ali Biju (Saratok).
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