Press Digest - Surprise omissions in Adenan's list

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu and five assistant ministers are not on Barisan Nasional's candidates list, meaning a reshuffle of the state Cabinet is on the cards after the Sarawak state election on May 7.
Of the five deputy ministers dropped, Assistant Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister cum Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman and Assistant Land Development Minister cum Assistant Tourism Minister Datuk Gramong Juna have opted out citing health reasons and old age respectively, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
Daud's Tupong constituency will be contested by newbie Fazzruddin Abdul Rahman whereas Gramong's Machan seat will be contested by his son Allan Siden Gramong.
Meanwhile, Jabu is making way for his son Gerald Rentap Jabu to contest in Layar, a seat he has held since 1974.
Assistant Welfare Minister Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat's Bukit Saban constituency will be contested by federal Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, who is the Betong MP.
Talk is rife that Douglas Uggah would be appointed deputy chief minister while Robert Lawson would eventually be made a federal minister.
The surprise omissions from Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem's list are Marudi assemblyman Datuk Sylvester Entri and Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie.
Both Sylvester, who is assistant public utilities minister, and Peter Nansian, who holds the assistant industrial development minister and assistant local government and community development minister portfolios, are from Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras), an offshoot of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
SPDP's Datuk Henry Harry Jinep will stand for BN in Tasik Biru and Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil, who is also from SPDP, is the BN candidate for Marudi.