KUALA LUMPUR, May 16- With the witdrawal of MCA and Gerakan from taking up any government post, Chinese representation in the cabinet now comes from Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan (photo) and Mary Yap Kain Ching(photo) , the Member of Parliament for Tawau.
Low, the president of Transparency International Malaysia, is made Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. He will be in charge of the public complaints bureau, besides taking care of matters related to corruption and integrity.
Low, 67, is also a notable corporate figure, having held various high-profile positions, including as group managing director of Malaysian Sheet Glass Sdn Bhd and president of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).
He also served as a member of the National Economic Action Council (NEAC), Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) and Committee on Ethics and Integrity. Yap from Parti Bersatu Sabah, had an illustrious career as a teacher and was also named Tokoh Guru Kebangsaan in 2012.
The first-time politician wrestled the Tawau seat from Chua Soon Bui of SAPP with a majority 4,979 votes in a four-cornered fight in the recent 13th general election (GE13).
Her vast experience in the field will be of great advantage, especially in achieving the goals of the Education Development Plan 2013-2025.
Meanwhile, the Transport Minister post which is traditionally held by a representative from MCA is still kept vacant.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein Onn will serve as acting Transport Minister.
It is understood that the prime minister had hoped that MCA would reconsider its decision not to accept any public office following its dismal performance in the GE13, although seven if its candidates for parliamentary seats were elected.
Aside from the Transport Minister post, Najib is also likely to allocate another minister post to MCA.
Gerakan, which now has only one MP, also refrained from taking up any government post while Chinese candidates from other multiracial parties in Sabah and Sarawak such as Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk VK Liew of Sabah and Datuk Yong Khoon Seng from Sarawak United People’s Party were defeated in the recent general election.
In the previous cabinet, there were a total of six Chinese ministers and nine deputy ministers appointed.
– BERNAMA
