KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg was made the new Chief Minister of Sarawak according to the Sarawak state constitution and not under the caucus system as had been practised in the past.
Article 6(3)(a) of the constitution empowers the Yang Dipertua Negeri Sarawak namely Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to choose the Chief Minister from among the Sarawak state assemblymen who received the confidence of the majority of the assemblymen.
This is enshrined as part of the Agreement on the Formation of Malaysia 1963.
A lecturer at the Department of Socioculture, Universiti of Malaya, Prof Madya Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi when clarifying the matter said the appointment of the Chief Minister could be carried out in two ways, namely through the state constitution or through the caucus system enshrined in the constitution of the PBB as the pillar of the Sarawak state government.
“The top leadership decided against using the caucus system in the selection this time because of the sudden demise of Tan Sri Adenan Satem besides wanting to preserve internal party harmony, and instead requested the
Yang Dipertua Negeri Sarawak to use the provision in the state constitution in selecting the sixth Sarawak Chief Minister.
“Based on this, the Yang Dipertua Negeri Sarawak met with the top leadership of PBB this morning (yesterday) before the decision to appoint Abang Johari was announced,” he said in a statement to Bernama here yesterday.
He said the PBB top leadership felt that in line with the current situation the appointment did not use the caucus system like the practice when Adenan was selected as the Chief Minister, to enable the appointment to be carried out immediately as there was no provision for the post of acting Chief Minister in the state constitution.
Abang Johari was sworn in before Taib at the Astana in Petra Jaya, Kuching, yesterday.
Abang Johari, the state assemblyman (ADUN) for Satok who has more than 30 years’ experience in politics, was one of three deputy chief ministers under the administration of the late Adenan, besides Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah and Tan Sri Dr James Masing. — Bernama