myy-bp-271109-lj-berawan
By Lucas Jalong Bato
MIRI: The Berawans supported the request made by the delegation led by Orang Ulu Baram paramount chief Temenggong Pahang Ding to the top BN leadership to include an Orang Ulu assemblyman in the state cabinet.
On Thursday the delegation made the request through the deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu whom they met at Miri airport before his departure to Kuching. He was in Miri to officiate the Sarawak Kenyah Cultural Festival.
A Berawan headman TK Edmund Abang of Long Terawan said the Berawan community would like to see the assemblyman from Telang Usan Lihan Jok be included in the state cabinet at least holding the assistant minister post.
“Among the four Orang Ulu assemblymen Lihan is the most senior and deserved a shot at serving the community as an assistant minister. He has proven to be a hard working assemblyman for our constituency and if appointed as an assistant minister he would be more effective in serving the people,” said Edmund.
A councillor from Baram district council Garry Hashim believed Lihan would make a good assistant minister representing the Orang Ulu since the last time the community was represented was during the late Dr Judson Tagal who was the Ba Kelalan assemblyman.
A free lance tour operator Mathew Mawit agreed that an Orang Ulu should be included in the state cabinet in the spirit of 1Malaysia.
A youth leader from the Berawan community Alexander Laing supported the call for Lihan to be appointed as an assistant minister.
“I believe he will be a dynamic assistant minister because even while as an assemblyman he has served the people in his constituency tirelessly,” said Alexander.
During the recent minor cabinet reshuffle, the Orang Ulu was not included even though all its assemblymen are in the Barisan Nasional.
During the last state election in 2006 the Orang Ulu constituencies of Telang Usan, Ba Kelalan, Belaga and the new constituency of Batu Danau saw all BN candidates from the Orang Ulu community winning comfortably against the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
Meanwhile a former state cabinet minister from the Orang Ulu community Datuk Joseph Balan Seling when contacted by phone, pointed out that it is not easy for the top BN leadership to please everybody when it comes to appoint ministers in the cabinet.
“I am confident that the chief minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib has his reason because he has to see the overall political situation,” said Balan.
The Orang Ulu community has a political secretary to the chief minister Robert Laing Anyie.
myy-bp-010709-lj-berawan-P1, P2, P3, P4
Caption: HOPING: From left: Edmund, Garry, Mathew, Alexander.
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