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No need for me to do a Ghapur: Dompok
March 29, 2008 (Source: Daily Express)
DOMPOK said he has no intention to resign
from his Federal ministerial post, given that
his party's Supreme Council had asked him to
accept the appointment by the Prime Minister.
He dismissed rumours, some of them spread via
SMSes, that he would also quit, following the
footsteps of Kalabakan MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur
Salleh who resigned as Deputy Natural Resources
and Environment Minister.
Dompok, who was re-appointed Minister in the
Prime Minister's Department, was among the two
Federal Ministers rumoured to be quitting. The
other was Unity, Culture, Art and Heritage
Minister Datuk Shafie Haji Apdal.
"Kenapa pula saya follow Ghapur? (why should I
follow Ghapur?). The decision of the (Upko)
Supreme Council stays, unless the party decides
otherwise," said Dompok, who is United Pasok
Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko)
President.
He said Ghapur has every right to do as he
wished and felt he (Ghapur) knew what he was
doing.
"In the case of my appointment, the Upko Supreme
Council discussed it in my absence because I was
in Kuala Lumpur. The decision that was conveyed
to me was that I should accept it.
"The decision stays unless the party says
otherwise," he said.
Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman had earlier turned
down the Deputy Transport Minister post offered
by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi.
Although both the Umno leaders cited personal
reasons for not taking up the deputy ministerial
posts, the moves were perceived by Sabah Umno
leaders as unhappiness over the allocation of
ministerial posts in Abdullah's Cabinet.
Sabah Barisan Nasional delivered 24 of the 25 MP
seats and most leaders in the coalition were
unhappy that the status quo was maintained with
the appointments of three Sabahan ministers
though Deputy Minister posts increased from two
to four.
Dompok agreed that Sabah BN's performance was
not reflected in the Cabinet representation.
"I cannot disagree with the perception of the
people of Sabah that there does not seem to be
consideration for Sabah's performance in the
just concluded general election," he said after
the Penampang District Council meeting, Friday.
However, the Consumer Association of Sabah and
Labuan suggested that the actions of these
appointees could also have been motivated by the
new requirement for all Ministers to make their
assets public, instead of only to the PM as in
the past.
On a proposal to implement the anti-hop law,
Dompok said there was a need for a proper study
to see what sort of control it should provide.
"If an elected representative leaves one BN
component party to join another component party,
is that considered hopping when you are elected
on a Barisan ticketÉwe have to study the matter
further," he added.
Meanwhile, in TAWAU, Shafie Apdal also denied
rumours that he too will resign from the federal
post.
"Talk on my resignation from the cabinet is
untrue and false," said the Semporna Umno
division chief.
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