KOTA KINABALU: Sabah now has seven deputy ministers in the unity government of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after grumbling that it was shortchanged in the Cabinet by having only two full ministers.
Sabah Barisan Nasional has three deputy minister positions and Sabah Pakatan (two), while Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Warisan have one each.
Sabah Umno MPs picked as deputy ministers were Beaufort MP Datuk Siti Aminah Aching (Plantation and Commodities), Kimanis MP Datuk Mohamad Alamin (Foreign) and Pensiangan MP Datuk Arthur Kurup (Science Technology and Innovation), who is also Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) deputy president.
Sabah Pakatan were given two posts – with DAP’s Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin slotted in the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry and PKR’s Sepanggar MP Mustapha Sakmud for Human Resources.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Batu Sapi MP Khairul Firdaus Akbarkhan, who is also Sabah Bersatu information chief, was given the Tourism, Arts and Culture portfolio.
Warisan’s Lahad Datu MP Datuk Yusof Apdal was named deputy minister for Higher Education.
Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal could not be immediately reached for comment on the appointments of their MPs.
With only two ministers from Sabah named in Anwar’s Cabinet, Bung Moktar claimed that Sabah was under-represented in the federal Cabinet as 24 of the 25 Sabah MPs supported the unity government.
When contacted, Mohamad said he was surprised to be named as Deputy Foreign Minister.
“It is quite challenging and a totally new area for me, but I have to learn. I think I will learn from my minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir,” added Mohamad, who was previously a deputy education minister.
The other newly-appointed deputy ministers could not be immediately reached for comments.
