Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) only Chinese elected representative, Datuk Ben Chong Chen Bin, has expressed acceptance over the absence of Chinese representation in the state Cabinet following the recent polls, which saw a significant swing toward Parti Warisan instead of DAP.
Chong, the Tanjong Kapor Assemblyman and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) division chief, acknowledged that there would be no Chinese deputy chief minister post, despite a pre-election promise from Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor if GRS had won. He said the decision reflects the reality that many Chinese voters supported the opposition.
“After all, the Chinese do not deserve any ministerial positions as many Chinese voters prefer the opposition,” Chong stated. He added that taking a Chinese quota position could upset Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, and Rungus voters, who contributed significantly to GRS’ victory.
Despite the lack of ministerial roles, Chong emphasized that political stability is more important than holding Cabinet positions. “It is meant for political stability. I am OK with it as long as GRS becomes a stronger and more stable government after Barisan Nasional joins. We want stable politics; otherwise, we would have to keep changing the government or holding elections every two years, and that is not good,” he said.
Chong successfully defended his seat for the third time in a competitive 11-cornered contest, winning with a narrow 359-vote majority following split votes between independent Datuk Verdon Bahanda and Warisan’s Terence Au. He had previously served as Sabah’s state assistant minister of trade and industry from 2018 to 2020, initially on a Parti Warisan ticket.
Hajiji had promised in September that one of the three deputy chief ministers would be appointed from among Chinese elected representatives if they were re-elected. Traditionally, the three deputy chief minister positions are allocated to leaders from the Chinese, Bumiputera Muslim, and Bumiputera communities, but the practice has not been fully observed in the previous term.
