KUCHING, May 6 — Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg today announced a state Cabinet reshuffling that adds a third deputy chief minister.
Two assistant ministers will be promoted to full ministers while some ministries will also be renamed, he added.
The new ministers and their replacements as assistant ministers will be sworn in before Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud.
“All the appointments will take effect tomorrow,” Abang Johari told reporters after closing a PBB special convention of PBB here today.
Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan joins Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Tan Sri Dr James Masing as DCMs, and will also be industrial and entrepreneur development minister.
The CM will take charge of energy development, oil and gas, digital economy and telecommunication and Kuching urban public transport.
Abang Johari will also hold the portfolios for finance and economic planning as well as urban development and natural resources, which replaces the resource planning and environment portfolio.
The three assistant ministers in the Chief Minister's Office are Datuk John Sikie Tayai, Sharifah Hasidah Syeed Aman Ghazali and Abdullah Saidol, the last of whom is a new appointment.
Uggah is minister of modernisation of agriculture, native land and regional development while Masing is the minister of infrastructure development and transportation.
Assistant Minister of Industrial Development Datuk Talip Zulpilip was promoted to minister in the Chief Minister's Office in charge of Integrity and Ombudsman while Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah was made tourism, arts, culture, youth and sports minister.
Former Youth, Sports and Solidarity Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawaong will head the newly created of Education, Science and Technological Research Ministry.
Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, apart from being second finance minister, will head the International Trade and E-Commerce Ministry, another new portfolio.
Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian will head the expanded Local Government and Housing Ministry, formerly known as Local Government Ministry.
Datuk Dr Stephen Rundie Utom will be minister of the renamed of Rural Electricity and Water Supply, formerly known as Public Utilities.
Datuk Fatimah Abdullah heads the expanded Welfare, Community Well-being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Ministry, formerly known as the Welfare, Women and Community Well-being Ministry.
Abang Johari took over as sixth chief minister on January 13, taking over from the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem who died two days earlier.
