PM to fill three vacancies with candidates from Umno - The Star

KUCHING: The three vacancies for federal deputy ministers will be filled next week, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Prime Minister did not name the new deputy ministers, but would only that they were from the same party (Umno), which the three former deputy ministers represented.

The former deputy ministers were Sabahans Datuk Ghapur Salleh and Datuk Anifah Aman, and Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar.

Abdullah said he had identified the candidates for the posts of Dewan Rakyat Speaker and Deputy Speakers, and that among them were one Sarawakian and one Sabahan.

There was talk that Santubong MP Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar is the Sarawak MP who has been identified.

“We are in the process of getting in touch with them (identified candidates) and asking them how they feel about it,” he told reporters when asked at Kuching Hilton yesterday.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/5/nation/20860274&sec=nation]