Mawan insists he is ready to take on new challenges but prepared to be sidelined
SRI AMAN: Partyless Tan Sri Willliam Mawan Ikom who was dropped from the state cabinet is ready to be enlisted for new challenges.
This former senior minister who has not retired has no qualms or complaints about his present position.
“He (Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem) knows I am not a small kid but a very senior politician. I am serving a higher order and subscribe to overall wellbeing of BN.
“The top BN leadership knows it. I am not worried about anything. I believe there are some assignments for me somewhere. As I have said, when I am asked to jump, I don’t ask why but which floor,” Mawan told BAT 6 who by chance encountered him at Lachau.
In this unplanned meeting, the Pakan assemblyman and Saratok MP opened up and answered many questions which the media had been trying to ask him. One of such questions was his reaction to being dropped from the cabinet as well as his willingness to serve at federal level.
Mawan, who was formerly SPDP president and later Teras president, said he was prepared to serve at federal level if called to.
“I have been serving as a state assemblyman and I have been MP for three years. I have seen the two sides of the coin and I am prepared to serve anywhere if called, including at the federal level,” he said.
On whether he was serving his last term as a politician, Mawan did not deny it. He said he was willing to give up his Pakan seat anytime but added that he was also willing to take on any responsibility given by the BN top leadership.
“I was willing to give up Pakan in the last election. Age was a factor. I could not be there forever. But then I was asked to continue. I can give way anytime and I can serve anywhere, anytime as well,” said Mawan.
Tan Sri Willliam Mawan Ikom
On the rumour that he had already been accepted by PBB, Mawan did not deny nor confirm it. All that he hinted was “I am as good as being there already”.
When pressed on the reasons for joining PBB, he said he was tired of trivial politicking which had been going on in other BN component parties.
“I am tired of all these trivial politicking. I have enough. I have made unnecessary enemies while doing that. And it is distracting. I have been through a lot, setting up SPDP and later on Teras. I have been going from SNAP to SPDP, then to Teras. I have enough. I have to think about my image among the people.
“Now, I don’t what to tie up with any agenda. I won’t be able to move forward like that. I am leaving all these behind so that I can move on. I am too old to take care of the trivial things anymore. By joining PBB, I hope to serve BN’s interest better than I have done,” explained Mawan.
Mawan resigned from Teras to stand as direct BN candidate for Pakan in the May 7 state election. Prior to this, he was ready to give way to his son Jakson Mawan to be the candidate. However, as he was deemed more winnable than Jakson, he was asked to stand again to defend the seat for BN.
After the state election, with the return of Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah to serve as deputy chief minister, it was rumoured that Mawan would be given a federal ministerial post to replace Uggah.
Excluding Uggah, Mawan is the only representative of a state constituency and parliamentary constituency in Sarawak.