Mawan said he had conveyed his party’s request to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during consultations on cabinet positions.”I communicated our expectations to the prime minister when I submitted the names of the four MPs from SPDP.

“I’ve put across my views, but it’s the prerogative of the prime minister as BN chairman, to make the appointments,” he said, adding that in the March 8 general election, the rural-based SPDP scored 100 per cent victory, with increased majority in all the four Dayak-majority seats.

Prior to the dissolution of parliament, the SPDP only had one representative in the administration in Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe.

The four names forwarded to Abdullah are Dr Tiki, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan (Baram), Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Bintulu), Jelaing Mersat (Saratok) and Senator Paul Chek Nyuk.

Last weekend’s election saw Tiong, who is also SPDP treasurer-general, retaining Bintulu with the biggest majority of 14,965 votes, against DAP’s Lim Su Kien, who polled 8,663 votes in a straight fight.

Mawan said it was high time a representation be considered, especially from Sarawak’s indigenous minorities, given that all the rural seats had again given the mandate to BN.

The BN triumphed in 30 of the 31 parliamentary seats in the state, conceding only the Bandar Kuching seat to DAP.

The Orang Ulu community had lobbied for fourth-term Baram MP Jacob to be considered for a ministerial post on the rationale that he would be able to facilitate development in the rural constituency, which is as big as Pahang, but was the country’s least developed due to its vast size.

Dr Tiki, a member of the previous administration, hails from the minority Bidayuh community, which is politically conscious and progressive.–Bernama