KUCHING: Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen has come under fire for contradicting himself following his opposition to the just-passed Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Batu Kitang assemblyman Datuk Lo Khere Chiang said Chong has previously argued that ministers should not hold two or three portfolios as it would place too much power in the hands of one person.
“Not too long ago, Chong said ministers should not hold two or three portfolios. But, yesterday (Nov 24) during debate on the Bill, he objected to it.
“So, he is contradicting himself. This is what people are getting fed up with,” he said this in a media conference at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex today.
Lo explained that the amendment, which allows the appointment of not more than four additional members to the Sarawak Cabinet, was a preparation and does not compel the Premier to appoint all four additional ministers immediately.
“The Premier can appoint when the time is right, even just one. He doesn’t have to appoint four. But this is to get the approval of the House. Deputy Ministers do not require the approval of the House to be appointed,” he said.
He added that while deputy ministers support full ministers, they do not carry the full legal, political, or strategic responsibilities.
“They do not lead federal negotiations. They do not chair Cabinet committees. They do not sign off on decisions that shape Sarawak’s future. They cannot — by design — replace a full minister,” he said.
Noting Sarawak’s rapid development said vast size, Lo argued that the state needs more ministers to enhance service delivery.
“Today, Sarawak only has 11 full ministers. We are 130 times bigger than Penang and they also have 11 full ministers.
“What’s wrong to have a few more ministers to be able to carry out and implement our projects better? The people’s aspiration is getting bigger and bigger each day. They want better roads, better drains, housing, water supply and electricity supply.
“So, we should improve our services and delivery by having more Ministers,” he said, while adding that other states in Peninsular Malaysia have around 10 to 11 full ministers, and all of them combined are not even the size of Sarawak.
Lo reiterated that it was not an issue to distribute the workload by having a few more ministers.
“Sarawak deserves real opposition — not performers. Accountability requires consistency, sincerity, and solutions — not theatrics, not flip-flops and not opportunism.
“And now, faced with a constitutional amendment that strengthens Sarawak, enhances our governance structure, distributes responsibilities more fairly, and supports the Premier in driving long-term reforms — Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chooses to object not on substance, but on ego,” he said.
