Kuching: DAP’s Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has reaffirmed that the party is not opposed to strengthening Sarawak’s state administration but insists that the government must prioritise proper utilisation of existing deputy ministers instead of expanding the Cabinet unnecessarily.
Concluding her debate on the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill 2025, Yong stressed that DAP supports efforts to improve governance, enhance administrative efficiency, and ensure workloads are manageable.
However, she argued that the proposed addition of up to four new ministers is not the solution.
“We DAP state representatives are not objecting to strengthening state administration. We support efforts to improve governance and ensure workloads are manageable,” she said.
Yong urged the government to fully utilise the 27 deputy ministers currently serving in the administration, stating that these positions should be meaningful, functional, and accountable.
“For the deputy ministers – empower them, utilise them, and hold them accountable. Do not treat them as decorative positions, what we often call ‘pasu bunga’, while adding more ministers unnecessarily.”
She said the unlimited appointment of deputy ministers already provides the government with the manpower it needs, and if workload remains high, the issue lies in delegation and management, not the number of ministers.
According to Yong, expanding the Cabinet without addressing deeper inefficiencies risks creating a larger but not necessarily more effective leadership structure.
She argued that the government must first examine whether ministries are delegating work properly, whether deputies are being meaningfully engaged, and whether internal processes can be improved before resorting to constitutional amendments.
Yong also stressed that adding more ministers carries cost implications for taxpayers, including salaries, allowances, and operational expenses that could be avoided by optimising existing resources.
“We do not need more ministers. We need better ministers – ministers who can manage their portfolios, make full use of their deputies, and run their ministries efficiently,” she said.
As such, she made clear that DAP could not support the Bill.
