The plan to expand the Sarawak Cabinet by four more ministers is nothing short of irresponsible and self-serving. At a time when Sarawakians are demanding better roads, clean water, reliable healthcare, and stronger economic opportunities, the government’s priority appears to be creating more political posts for its own allies.

Sarawak has only 2.7 million people. Yet the government wants to grow its cabinet to 15 or 16 ministers, giving us one minister for every 168,000 people—one of the most bloated ratios in the region. Even global powers with far bigger populations and far more complex responsibilities operate with leaner cabinets:

United States: 330 million people, 15 cabinet members

Australia: 26 million people, 24 ministers

Canada: 40 million people, 38 ministers

China: 1.4 billion people, about 26 ministers

If countries of this scale do not require oversized cabinets, what justification does Sarawak have? The answer is obvious: political accommodation, not public service.

This expansion is not about governance. It is about rewarding political partners, securing internal loyalties, and strengthening the ruling coalition’s grip on power—at the expense of the rakyat.

Worse still, the government refuses to disclose the true cost of this expansion. Every new minister means:
larger offices, bigger support teams,
more official vehicles,
additional travel budgets, and
higher yearly operational expenses.

All of these will be paid for by Sarawakian taxpayers, many of whom still struggle with issues the government has failed to fix for decades.

Therefore, Parti Bumi Kenyalang demands clear answers—answers the government has avoided:

1. What critical responsibilities justify four new ministries?

2. Why can’t the existing ministries do their jobs?

3. What measurable improvements will the rakyat actually see?

4. How much public money will this political expansion drain each year?

Until these questions are answered with transparency, this entire proposal looks like nothing more than the government inflating itself while ordinary Sarawakians wait for basic services.

If the administration is truly committed to good governance, it should focus on efficiency, accountability, and real improvements—not padding its cabinet with more political appointees.

Sarawakians deserve a government that works for them, not a government that works to enrich and entrench itself. Expanding the cabinet now is the wrong decision, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.

The rakyat deserves better than a government obsessed with expanding power instead of delivering results.

Voon Lee Shan
President
Parti Bumi Kenyalang