KUCHING: Members of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) are thankful to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem for appointing their president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing a deputy chief minister.
The party’s information chief Alexander Donald said Masing was the most suitable candidate to fill the post of deputy chief minister in the new cabinet.
He said Masing, who was a senior minister holding the land development portfolio in the previous cabinet, led PRS to victory in all 11 seats in the just-concluded state election and the strong support for his leadership was demonstrated by increased majorities in some of the constituencies which also led to many of their opponents losing their deposits.
He also said Masing was deemed a consistent leader who was firm in speaking up on issues affecting the Dayak community such as natives’ rights and religious issues, apart from having vast experience in the administration of the state and politics for over 30 years.
“We would like to thank the chief minister for hearing our call and also the voices of other non-governmental bodies. Throughout his political career Masing has been vocal in voicing out the interest of Sarawakians and this blends well with what the chief minister has been promoting for Sarawak.
“With Masing as a deputy chief minister, he would be better able to pull Dayak support for the ruling government. The majority of Dayaks look up to him as the ultimate leader of the community. What the Dayaks need is a firm leader who is not afraid to speak up and Masing fits the bill. We want him to be our ultimate voice.
“We strongly believe that with this appointment, the support from the Dayak community would greatly improve and this augurs well for Barisan Nasional as we face the next general election scheduled in 2018,” he said yesterday.
On Friday, Adenan who is also state Barisan Nasional chief announced Masing as one of the three deputy chief ministers in the new state cabinet. The other two are Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah and Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who are from Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) led by Adenan.
Alexander also said PRS appreciated the trust put on the party president by the chief minister, and this showed Adenan’s foresight in fostering greater unity among the rural based communities.
“This also shows that he (Adenan) wants to see a rural based party like us (PRS) play a bigger role in developing the state,” he said.
He added that PRS was also happy Masing was also given an important portfolio as Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation, because this augurs well for the much needed development in the rural areas.
“It’s timely and appropriate. We are confident that Tan Sri Masing will be able to fasttrack development in the hinterland with greater and better infrastructure development.”
Meanwhile, PRS Youth publicity chief Bit Surang said Masing’s appointment as deputy chief minister was a historical moment.
With the paradigm shift of the state government to focus on rural infrastructure development, he said PRS Youth was looking forward to seeing rural areas especially Kapit Division undergo bigger transformation and more development progress in the near future.
He also expressed hope that PRS would have an increased number of allocations for the assistant minister posts, and he cited portfolios that had ‘strategic fit’ relevant to the needs of rural communities represented by PRS such as Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy, Housing and Urbanisation, Local Government, Public Utilities, Entrepreneur Development and Trade, Investment and Industries.
“PRS Youth hopes that PRS will have an increase in the number of allocations for the assistant minister posts integral with the vision of transforming Dayaks and the rural communities to reach greater heights,” he said.