THE proposal to increase by up to four additional appointments to the state Cabinet will ensure Sarawak’s governance structure matches the scale of its transformation and growing responsibilities.
Bawang Assan assemblyman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the argument that the existing Cabinet, comprising the Premier, 10 Ministers and 26 Deputy Ministers is sufficient no longer reflects the realities of a rapidly advancing Sarawak.
“One may argue that the current Cabinet structure is already more than enough. This argument may be accepted if our governance realities have remained static and simple.
“But this view is no longer aligned with the scale of Sarawak’s transformation and responsibilities today,” he said when debating the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2025 at the DUN Sitting today.
Wong stressed that Deputy Ministers cannot replace full Ministers, as they do not set strategic direction, hold constitutional authority, make final executive decisions or bear full accountability to the House.
“The leadership, accountability and direction of each ministry rests solely with the full minister,” he said, noting that today’s ministers oversee more portfolios, agencies and strategic functions than ever before.
He said Sarawak’s ministries are no longer simple administrative units but complex organisations supervising permanent secretaries, directorates, statutory bodies, regulatory units, professional task forces, technical divisions and multi-billion-ringgit development programmes.
“The workload is exponential, not linear. To say ‘1+10 is enough’ ignores the complexity of a modern Sarawak government,” he added.
Wong highlighted that Sarawak’s shift from a commodity-based economy to high-value, knowledge-driven sectors — including hydrogen, renewable energy, carbon markets, digital economy, AI, autonomous systems, biotechnology and advanced agrifood industries — demands full-time ministerial stewardship.
“These are future-defining sectors that require entire portfolios, not fragmented attention from overburdened ministries,” he said.
He also pointed out that Sarawak is set to assume more MA63-devolved functions such as health coordination, regulatory powers and potentially education and infrastructure responsibilities.
“When federal responsibilities shift to the State, the Cabinet must expand to match that mandate. A stagnant Cabinet in the face of expanding responsibilities would be irresponsible,” he said.
Wong added that major state infrastructure projects — including the Sarawak Water Grid, Sarawak Power Grid, statewide digital connectivity, green mobility systems and human capital development — each require dedicated ministerial attention.
