MALAYSIA: SARAWAK'S NEW CHIEF MINISTER RETURNS FROM KUALA LUMPUR AND SWORN-IN ALONG WITH FIVE OTHER MINISTERS

Record ID: 418782

  • Title: MALAYSIA: SARAWAK'S NEW CHIEF MINISTER RETURNS FROM KUALA LUMPUR AND SWORN-IN ALONG WITH FIVE OTHER MINISTERS
  • Date: 23rd June 1966
  • Summary: 1. MLS (PAM) WOMEN OF BARJASA PARTY WAITING 0.03 2. MS PENGHULU SLI DOWN PLANE GREETED BY JUGAH AND BEING GARLANDED 0.08 3. MS ANOTHER GIRL GARLANDS HIM 0.11 4. MS MEMBERS OF PARTIES BARJASA AND PESAKA GREETING HIM (FOUR SHOTS) 0.33 5. MS (PAN) NEW CABINET MINISTERS TO BE SWORN-IN 0.41 6. MS (LEFT TO RIGHT); PENGHULU SLI AND GOVERNOR 0.44 7. MS GOVERNOR (PAN) M. TAIB BEING SWORN-IN 0.49 8. CU TAIB TAKING OATH 0.52 9. CU GOVERNOR 0.55 10. CU FRANCIS UMPAU BEING SWORN-IN 0.57 11. LS ----DITTO---- 1.00 12. CU TAJANG LAING (PAN TO) ABDUL RAHIM LOOKING ON 1.05 13. CU AWANG HIPNI BEING SWORN-IN 1.08 14. CU (PAN) RIGHT TO LEFT: JUGAH AND RAHMAN YAACOB 1.12 15. PENGHULU SLI AND RAHMAN YAACOB TALKING 1.15 16. ----DITTO---- 1.18 Initials CAR/VS/MK/YA/CHM Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 8th July 1966 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KUCHING, SARAWAK
  • Country: Malaysia
  • Reuters ID: LVA9S07O1BS5CVFLGOL5EGPV9V5H
  • Story Text: SARAWAK'S NEW CHIEF MINISTER, PENGHULU TAWI SLI, RETURNED TO KUCHING YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY), FROM KUALA LUMPUR WHERE HE HAD TOP-LEVEL TALKS WITH THE MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER, TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN. THE TALKS WERE CENTRED ON THE FORMATION OF A NEW SARAWAK CABINET FOLLOWING THE DISMISSAL OF DATO STEPHEN KALONG NINGKAN AS CHIEF MINISTER AND HIS ENTIRE CABINET BY THE SARAWAK GOVERNOR, TUN ABANG HAJI OPENG, LAST WEEK. MEANWHILE, DATO NINGKAN, WHO HAS MOVED OVER TO THE OPPOSITION, HAS ISSUED A WRIT SEEKING A COURT INJUNCTION TO RESTRAIN THE NEWLY-APPOINTED CHIEF MINISTER FROM TAKING OFFICE. HE HAS ALSO SOUGHT A COURT RULING THAT HIS DISMISSAL BY THE GOVERNOR WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

    DATO NINGKAN WAS DISMISSED BY THE GOVERNOR AFTER HE FAILED TO RESIGN IN SPITE OF A CALL TO DO SO BY THE MALAYSIAN PREMIER, TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN, FOLLOWING A SERIES OF CRISIS INSIDE THE SARAWAK ALLIANCE OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS. THE TUNKU IS LEADER OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE -- RULING PARTY OF MALAYSIA. BUT ACCORDING TO DATO NINGKAN, HE COULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE ONLY THROUGH A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THE SARAWAK STATE COUNCIL.

    SHORTLY AFTER THE CHIEF MINISTER'S ARRIVAL, A NEW TWO-PARTY STATE CABINET PESAKA AND BERJASA WAS SWORN IN BY THE GOVERNOR, AFTER EFFORTS TO GET THE SARAWAK CHINESE ASSOCIATION, PARTY NEGARA AND THE SARAWAK NATIONAL PARTY OF DATO NINGKAN, TO ACCEPT FORTFOLIOS HAD FAILED.

    THE NEW SIX-MEMBERS CABINET IS: CHIEF MINISTER, PENGHULU TAWI SLI; MINISTERS (PORTFOLIOS NOT ALLOCATED) MR. TAIB IN MAHMUD, FORMER MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKS, WHO WAS SACKED BY DATO NINGKAN, WHO SAID HE HAD NO CONFIDENCE IN HIM; PENGHULU FRANCIS UMPAU; MR. TAJANG LAING; MR. AWANG HIPNI, AND ABANG VAJI ABDUL RAHIM, WHO WAS EXPELLED FROM HIS PARTY PANAS FOR ACCEPTING A POST IN THE NEW CABINET. (HIS BROTHER IS CHAIRMAN OF THE PARTY WHO IS EXPECTED TO JOIN DATO NINGKAN OPPOSING THE NEW CABINET.)
    THE CHIEF MINISTER, PENGHULU UMPAU AND MR. TAJANG LAING ARE MEMBERS OF TAN SRI TEMMENGONG JUGAH'S PARTY PESAKA. TAN SRI JUGAH IS THE FEDERAL MINISTER FOR SARAWAK AFFAIRS. MR. TAIB AND MR. AWANG HIPNI ARE MEMBERS OF BARJASA PARTY, WHOSE LEADER IS MR. ABDUL RAHMAN YAACOB, FEDERAL MINISTER FOR LANDS AND MINES.

    THREE MORE POSTS ARE VACANT IN THE CABINET AND THEY ARE TO BE FILLED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BY A NINE-MAN SPECIAL COMMITTEE.
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