Carrot and Stick approach to LDP

LDP's Chin to be made Senator?

Kota Kinabalu: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Deputy President Datuk Chin Su Phin is expected to be appointed a Senator, it was reliably learnt.

Sources, however, told Daily Express that Chin's impending appointment, if it materialises, would need the consent of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. His appointment may be in the wake of LDP's dissatisfaction after the party was left without a State Cabinet member following a recent reshuffle.

The party's former representative in the Cabinet, Datuk Peter Pang recently joined fellow BN component party Gerakan after being "partyless" for months. But he had all the time remained a Minister.

LDP then described the Chief Minister's move as not being in the BN spirit.

There are two ways in which a Member of the Upper House of Parliament (Dewan Negara) can be appointed.

One is through nomination by the State Legislative Assembly whereby each State is allowed to nominate two. The other is through direct appointment by the King after being recommended by the Prime Minister.

The last time LDP had a Senator was many years ago in Datin Naomi Chong, the former chief of the party's women wing.

It is not known if Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had a hand in Chin's appointment but the Chief Minister did say after the LDP's outburst that the party would be "compensated" through other means.

Meanwhile, the sources added that in the event of a Federal Cabinet reshuffle, LDP President Datuk VK Liew stands a good chance of being promoted to a full Minister. He is currently a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of, among other things, judicial matters. Liew is a lawyer.

The sources said by appointing Chin and possibly Liew later on, the Prime Minister hopes to kill two birds with one stone. The first is to pacify LDP.

The sources pointed out that with the next nationwide general election expected any time, the BN chairman cannot afford to see in-fighting amongst its coalition partners.

Secondly, by making Liew a full Federal Minister, Najib hopes to woo back some Chinese votes to the BN in the light of in-road gains by the Opposition in the recent Sarawak election. In the last Sabah election in 2008, BN component member PBS lost a parliamentary seat and a State seat, narrowly winning another.

If Liew's appointment materialises, it will be the second time LDP has a full Minister in the Federal Cabinet, the first being Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, then a Senator, in the early and mid-1990s before he came back to Sabah to join the State Cabinet.