Baru Bian
KUCHING: The state Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is confident that the party will have a representative in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal cabinet line-up.
According to PKR Sarawak chairman Baru Bian, who won the Selangau parliamentary seat in the just-concluded polls, it is vital to have a representative from the state PKR to ensure that the welfare of Sarawakians would be properly looked after.
He said it would be good for the representative be given a portfolio under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKLW), in view of the state lagging behind in infrastructure development, particularly in the rural areas.
“It is hoped that there would be a representative from the state PKR in the (federal) cabinet line-up and I believe that the portfolio under KKLW would be the most suitable for the state,” said Baru, who is also Ba Kelalan assemblyman, in a statement yesterday.
In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad only announced PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the Deputy Prime Minister, as well as three others as part of the federal cabinet.
The three are Lim Guan Eng as the new Finance Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassan as the Home Affairs Minister and Mohamad Sabu as the Defence Minister.
The names of those holding seven other ministries are yet to be made known.
The ministries are Education, Rural Development, Economy, Public Works, Transportation, Multimedia, Science and Technology, and Foreign Affairs.
Dr Mahathir also included a ‘Council of Elders’ in his cabinet.
Member of this council are Tun Daim Zainuddin, Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, Tan Sri Robert Kuok and Prof Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram.
In this respect, Baru was very confident about Dr Mahathir making ‘a wise decision’ with regard to the welfare of the people in the state.