KUCHING: The time is ripe for the country to have a Deputy Prime Minister from Sabah or Sarawak to recognise the importance of the two East Malaysian states.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said whoever is going to be appointed as the new Prime Minister should look into having a deputy from the two states.
"Thus, I fully support the proposal to appoint Kapit member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi as the Deputy Prime Minister.
"He is a senior and experienced Parliamentarian and has proved his capability when he was a deputy minister and recently as a full minister at the federal level," he told New Straits Times.
"I believe all Sarawakians as well as Sabahans would be pleased if he is appointed.
But, this is my opinion as the prerogative still rests on the (next) Prime Minister," he added.
Meanwhile, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) President Tan Sri James Jemut Masing also agreed that one of the GPS MPs should be given a Deputy Prime Minister position.
"Whoever from GPS is picked to hold the position is not important. But the bottom line is that GPS' contribution to the formation and stability of the government should be acknowledged," he said.
"In politics, acknowledgement is in a form of a position given to a party which contributes to that stability. Hence, it would be most appropriate for a GPS MP to be named as the Deputy Prime Minister."