Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing
KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said today that Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) must understand that he is not a ‘Minister of Everything Sarawak’.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development said his ministry had been appointed to take over the monitoring job following the retrenchment of workers under Lebuhraya Borneo Utara Sdn Bhd (LBU).
As the minister in-charge, Masing that his job was to reduce the impact caused by the recent federal government’s decision to terminate the contract with LBU.
“PSB has to understand that the Sarawakian workers retrenched under LBU is the direct effect of federal government’s decision to terminate the contract with LBU.
“Because of the termination, federal government under Ministry of Works Malaysia (KKR) has appointed the MIDP (Masing’s ministry) Sarawak to take over the monitoring job.
“As a Minister in charge, my job is to reduce the impact caused by the termination made by KKR, one of which is retrenched Sarawakian workforce previously under LBU which is confined under the construction and infrastructure sector,” he said in a statement.
He was responding to a PSB’s statement yesterday that suggested that Masing should look into the plight of thousands of other Sarawakians who had lost their jobs in recent years in the face of the retrenched LBU workers.
Masing said the spokesperson from PSB “needs to understand that a minister is a politician who heads a Ministry and thus is in charge of making and implementing decisions on policies confined to his or her ministry”.
According to him, this is why the government has different ministries headed by different ministers.
“I have been appointed as Minister of MIDP and not ‘Minister of Everything Sarawak’. Timber industry or labour issues in general are under other Ministry’s purview.
“While PSB’s enthusiasm is appreciated, their passion should be directed to the correct ministries,” added Masing, who is Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president.