Kota Kinabalu: SAPP President and former Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee expressed concern on the absence of Chinese representation in newly reappointed Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s Cabinet.
“All of today’s Chinese newspapers splashed headlines ‘No Chinese In Cabinet.’ This apparent concern of the community prompted me to issue this statement without fear or favour,” he said in a statement, Tuesday.
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He criticised Warisan for this, saying the party has “brought the Chinese to the opposition again.” The peninsula-based DAP which for decades championed Chinese interests in Sabah lost all eight seats it contested to Parti Warisan.
The Warisan leadership which was once dominated by Bajau-Suluks and KDMs is now one-third Chinese as the community accounts for nine of the 24 elected representatives. While the State Cabinet now wholly comprises no Chinese but Muslim and non-Muslim bumiputras, unlike previously.
Yong noted that, like any Chief Minister, Hajiji must juggle political heavyweights and complex considerations, taking into account where support came from and who can stabilise his government.
“That explains the composition of today’s Cabinet, which by constitution and by convention, is the absolute discretion of the Chief Minister.”
He cited the reaction of the newly elected Likas Assemblyman, who expressed “mixed feelings” at being elected under an opposition party despite years of service as a government officer.
“Life in the opposition is harsh, especially for a former government officer who is accustomed to government facilities where doors open and calls are answered,” he said.
He recalled that the complete absence of Chinese in the Cabinet also occurred after the September 2020 elections.
“The Chinese at the time were understandably angry about the defections that caused the fall of the then Warisan-PH government. But Hajiji is an inclusive leader who acts for all Sabahans.
“The Chinese community was not left out of mainstream development, and I do not expect any change in this inclusive approach over the next five years,” Yong said.
Yong urged the Chinese community to understand the broader political landscape of Sabah. “Past elections have shown that the Chinese community is not bound by a rigid loyalty to any party.
“In the same way that the Chinese vote bank is not a DAP fixed-deposit, it is also not Warisan’s or anybody else’s fixed deposit,” he said.
