It said this does not mean that Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud (left) will step down in three years' time, as he had promised before the April 16 state election.“If anyone thinks that Adenan will replace Taib, they are wrong. The time has not come for Taib to name his successor just yet,” said Sarawak PKR information chief See Chee How.
See said Taib's main purpose in bringing Adenan back into his cabinet is to neutralise the intense power struggle among various factions in Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), in relation to the succession plan.
He said Taib just wants to put forward as many names as possible as his eventual successor.
Adenan, (right) 67, took office yesterday. He had been the special adviser in the chief minister's office since last year.As with his role as special adviser, he will take charge of land matters, especially native customary rights (NCR) to land.
See said: “If Adenan is really taking charge of land matters, he should look into the number of cases which are being litigated in court now. He can advise the state cabinet and chief minister on ways to reduce the number of cases (which native litigants are winning).
He said it is clear that the court recognises the existence of NCR to land, albeit based on the state government's interpretation.
“I think the gov
ernment should change its stand and give full recognition to the NCR land, according to the natives' perception which has been accepted by the court,” he said.See (left) said he expects land issues to be hotly debated during the state assembly sitting next month.
“It is not just NCR land issues, but also the (many cases of) land taken by the government under Section 33 of the Sarawak Land Code. Most of the owners are Chinese,” he said.
(The section refers to alleged breach of land titles by the owners, which empowers the state government to re-enter and seize the land.)
Intrigue behind the scenes
Adenan, the BN state assemblyperson for Tanjung Datu, was a state minister before he was appointed federal minister of natural resources and environment after the 2004 general election, by then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
However, he resigned after a short stint, saying that he wanted to take a more active role in the Sarawak government.
It was thought that he would take over from Taib who was then suffering from a colon cancer. But Taib 'recovered', leaving Adenan in political limbo.
Taib, 75, had recently said he had groomed someone for the last 20 years to take over from him.
Political analysts suspect that Taib could be referring to Adenan or PBB deputy president (2) Abang Johari Openg (left), who is the state minister of housing and urban development.
Adenan, who was PBB senior vice-president (1), is now information chief. He has been a loyal ally of Taib since entering politics in 1978.
At the 1998 party convention, Taib backed him as deputy president (2), but he was defeated by Abang Johari who had the support of the Kuching Malays and Dayak members. The Dayaks rejected Adenan over an alleged racial slur against their community.
Taib then tabled an emergency motion to amend the constitution to create two posts of senior vice-presidents just to accommodate Adenan.
At the same time, some key Dayak leaders who had opposed Adenan were slowly phased out, including Celestine Ujang and Leonard Linggi Jugah.
Among the Malay leaders removed was Wanita chief Sharifah Mordiah Tuanku Fauzi, who was asked not to defend her Samariang state seat.
Taib also wanted to remove Abang Johari, but he remained simply because he has strong support from the Kuching Malays. Nevertheless, he was given 'minor' post in the state cabinet.
However, he resigned after a short stint, saying that he wanted to take a more active role in the Sarawak government.
It was thought that he would take over from Taib who was then suffering from a colon cancer. But Taib 'recovered', leaving Adenan in political limbo.
Taib, 75, had recently said he had groomed someone for the last 20 years to take over from him.
Political analysts suspect that Taib could be referring to Adenan or PBB deputy president (2) Abang Johari Openg (left), who is the state minister of housing and urban development.Adenan, who was PBB senior vice-president (1), is now information chief. He has been a loyal ally of Taib since entering politics in 1978.
At the 1998 party convention, Taib backed him as deputy president (2), but he was defeated by Abang Johari who had the support of the Kuching Malays and Dayak members. The Dayaks rejected Adenan over an alleged racial slur against their community.
Taib then tabled an emergency motion to amend the constitution to create two posts of senior vice-presidents just to accommodate Adenan.
At the same time, some key Dayak leaders who had opposed Adenan were slowly phased out, including Celestine Ujang and Leonard Linggi Jugah.
Among the Malay leaders removed was Wanita chief Sharifah Mordiah Tuanku Fauzi, who was asked not to defend her Samariang state seat.
Taib also wanted to remove Abang Johari, but he remained simply because he has strong support from the Kuching Malays. Nevertheless, he was given 'minor' post in the state cabinet.
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