SPDP thanks PM for Tiong’s appointment

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Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom

Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing

KUCHING: Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) is thankful to the Prime Minister for recently appointing its deputy president and Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing as special envoy with ministerial status to East Asia.

The party’s president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom believed this will be the start of more federal appointments for SPDP although the party was somehow not included in the federal cabinet announced after the 13th general election (13GE) in May last year.

With the cabinet reshuffle expected to take place anytime this year, he was feeling upbeat that other SPDP members of parliament were now being considered for either ministerial or deputy minister posts in the federal cabinet.

“It (Tiong’s appointment) reflects the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is placing SPDP in the forefront with regards to political appointments. I’m sure other political appointments for SPDP will come very soon, as we expect there will be a cabinet reshuffle soon.

“We (SPDP) are very thankful to the Prime Minister for being very accommodative even though we were not accorded any cabinet appointments earlier. As a BN component party, we have political needs which need to be satisfied, and whatever posts we are given, our party man will deliver and do his best,” he said when contacted yesterday.

SPDP was not allocated any post despite winning all its four seats in the 13GE when the new cabinet line-up was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on May 15, 10 days after the election.

Mawan himself was one of the winning candidates, having won the parliamentary seat of Saratok. But since he is also a Senior Minister and Minister of Social Development in the Sarawak cabinet, it is unlikely he will be appointed to the federal cabinet.

This leaves Mas Gading MP Anthony Nogeh Gumbek and Baram MP Anyi Ngau in contention for the posts in the federal cabinet. Prior to the 13GE, SPDP had two deputy ministers in the federal cabinet.

Talks are rife that cabinet reshuffle will take place anytime this year, since MCA is now considering to take up federal posts following a change in leadership.

On another matter, Mawan described Tiong’s appointment as special envoy with ministerial status to East Asia as very fitting due to his experience in the corporate sector and recognising his good performance as an elected representative.

Tiong, who is now into his fourth term as Bintulu MP, is Najib administration’s fourth special envoy after Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis (United States), Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting (China) and Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu (India).