BINTULU: The appointment of Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah as the 21st President of Dewan Negara is a testament to the trust placed in Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to lead the Upper House.
Sarawak Premier and GPS chairman, Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for nominating Awang Bemee, who was the sole candidate for the position.
“We extend our congratulations to Awang Bemee for being entrusted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Prime Minister to be appointed as the President of the Senate,” he told reporters after officiating the Sarawak Petchem Methanol Complex here today.
Awang Bemee’s appointment was proposed by Anwar during the Second Meeting of the Third Session of the 15th Parliament today, succeeding the late Datuk Mutang Tagal, who died on May 10. Mutang had replaced Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who resigned to become the eighth Governor of Sarawak on Jan 26.
Awang Bemee, who is former Nangka assemblyman, was sworn in as Senator on July 15 before Dewan Negara Deputy President Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for a term until July 14, 2027.
He also served as Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth secretary-general and a member of the party’s Supreme Council.
The PBB legal adviser and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) public officer also currently holds the positions of Kuching Port Authority chairman and Sarawak Plantation Berhad director.
