PM's prerogative in Cabinet appointment should be respected - Mohd Azis

KOTA KINABALU - Warisan information chief, Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman is of the view that whoever is appointed to the Cabinet of the unity government needs to be respected as such appointment is the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

The Sepanggar former MP, said there should be no more frustrations given that Sabahans have already voted and chosen their representatives.

"I see there are dismayed tones, especially in Sabah over the Cabinet line-up that were formed due to the lack of representation from Sabah in the Cabinet roster.

"But I am of the view that whoever is appointed is the prerogative of the Prime Minister who deserves respect and we should not be disappointed since the people of Sabah have been given the opportunity to vote and choose," he said in a statement today.

Mohd Azis said the people have voted and chosen according to what they believe can help Sabah and it has been proven that they trust the ability of the Peninsular-based parties compared to Sabah parties; in fighting for their rights and interests.

"Focus should be given to efforts to help the people as many people are affected by the country's economic downturn which is occuring alarmingly due to the increasing cost of living which is getting higher every day.

"I understand that there are also some Warisan supporters who are disappointed that there is no representation from Warisan in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet even though Warisan has been consistent and has never given a statutory declaration (SD) to support other candidates from the very beginning in the aftermath of the Sheraton move.

"In choosing between Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in the past, Warisan gave SD supporting Anwar even though at that time Warisan was offered various positions and rewards but Warisan remained in principle to not betray the mandate of the people and to be willing to sit behind the opposition leader's seat in parliament.

"Similarly, after the 15th General Election (GE15) when no party passed the 111-seat mark, Warisan was once again the first party to give SD supporting Anwar but then the cabinet was formed without a single post given to Warisan compared to the parties that had just shown support after he was sworn in as Prime Minister," he said.

In this regard, he said, Warisan should prove to the people of Malaysia and Sabah in particular that Warisan is not a party that pursues position alone but is principled on the basis of its struggle which is to prioritise claims for Sabah's rights.

"We would certainly like to see Anwar as Prime Minister deliver on his promise of Sabah's demands in the context of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63)," he said.