KUCHING: It is timely that the country’s deputy prime minister post be given to a candidate from either Sarawak or Sabah.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) professor Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman said the person appointed could take charge of the welfare of Sarawakians and Sabahans.
“After 58 years of the formation of Malaysia, I think it is already long enough for the federal government to consider having one representative as deputy prime minister from Sarawak or Sabah.
“It will not be just about creating history to have the first deputy prime minister from East Malaysia, but most importantly being fair to the states.
“Thus, I fully agree to the proposal by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing in this matter, not only that, I think this is something that we have been fighting hard for a long time,” the political analyst told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted today (Aug 20).
He mentioned that under the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, they had already recognised Sarawak’s contribution by appointing Petra Jaya MP Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof as Senior Works Minister.
“So, to me, having Fadillah as a senior minister is already a recognition. And we are ready to have one deputy prime minister from East Malaysia,” he pointed out.
Mohd Fadzil said should the deputy prime minister be from Sarawak or Sabah, he or she would have the authority to not only decide but to plan and to express the people’s concern directly to the prime minister.
“With that, we can be rest assured that the welfare of the people will be taken care of.
“I think that it is something where the public will see that the federal government is very holistic in their outputs to make sure that fair distribution is given to everybody,” he said.
On reports that Sarawak did not have enough numbers to demand such post, Mohd Fadzil said that he disagreed with the opinion.
“It is not so much about having 18 MPs. It is about making sure that the number is good enough for them to form the government.
“Even if we contribute one or two, it is to me still significant because without one or two representatives, they cannot come up with the sufficient number,” he stressed.
Asked who he thinks is fit to be the deputy prime minister, Mohd Fadzil said that he would leave it to the leadership of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) or Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to decide.
“But to me, at the end of the day, that somebody is not important, but what is most important is to have the responsibility to carry out his or her duty.
“We do not want a representative when given that kind of post, he or she enjoys the privilege but ignore the fact that Sarawkians have been fighting for that person to get there.
“What really matters is that whoever is appointed must understand that with that kind of authority and privilege come responsibility,” he said.
