KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — Sarawak veteran politician Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan has laughed off rumours of a rivalry between him and party-mate Datuk Abang Johari Openg over the Sarawak chief minister’s post.
Awang Tengah pointed out that he had personally nominated Abang Johari during the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council meeting yesterday as a candidate to succeed the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem, believing that only the PBB deputy president was suited for the role.
“Abang Johari is the obvious choice and the right candidate to take over the state leadership. He has years of experience in handling state affairs.
“The chief minister’s post comes along with heavier responsibilities and greater challenges, in which, only Abang Johari has the experience to fulfil,” the PBB senior vice-president was quoted saying by local paper New Straits Times (NST).
“People can say what they want. PBB is a party comprising members who are united and treat each other as family. Our priority has always been about working to improve the lot of the people of Sarawak,” he replied when asked about the rumoured rift, adding that Abang Johari will continue Adenan’s legacy.
National news agency Bernama had previously cited Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer Dr Suffian Mansor as saying that both Awang Tengah and Abang Johari were potential candidates for the Sarawak chief minister post.
Besides being Sarawak’s state minister for housing and tourism, Abang Johari was until yesterday one of Sarawak’s three deputy chief ministers, along with PBB’s Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri James Masing.
Awang Tengah, who is also Sarawak’s second resources planning minister, also responded yesterday to rumours that he would be appointed as a deputy chief minister to fill in Abang Johari’s previous post.
“I am here to do my work. If I was instructed and given the trust (to do the work), I will do it to my best capabilities,” he was quoted saying by NST, also noting that the matter was up to the new chief minister.
In a separate report today by NST, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political analyst Dr Jeniri Amir was quoted saying that the new deputy chief minister post could either go to PBB where Awang Tengah will likely be named or Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian as the president of PBB’s ally Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP).
Following Adenan’s death on Wednesday, Abang Johari was sworn in yesterday as Sarawak’s new chief minister.
