The Sarawak cabinet was sworn in again today before Yang Di Pertua Negeri Tun Muhammad Salahuddin at the Astana in Kuching following the May 20 state elections last Saturday.

The nine full ministers and 16 assistant ministers are unchanged from the previous term. Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, who was sworn in on May 21 for his seventh term, described the cabinet as a transitional government.

He told reporters he had not given much thought yet to portfolio changes for the various ministers and the filling-up of the three vacant assistant minister posts following the defeat of two BN-Supp incumbents and one BN-PBB incumbent who did not contest the elections.

Taib Mahmud has helmed the state since 1981, taking over mid-term from his uncle Tun Rahman Yakub who was appointed the Yang Di Pertua Negeri.

Among those sworn in today were Supp president and Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan, PBB deputy president and Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu, PBB deputy president and state Housing Minister Abang Johari Tun Openg, PRS president and state Land Development Minister Dr James Masing and SPDP president and Social Development and Urbanisation Minister William Mawan.

PBB senior vice-president and former federal minister Adenan Satem, who was elected with a big majority in the new state seat of Tanjung Datu, was conspicuously missing from the cabinet line-up.

"Adenan was prepared for it," a member of the Satem family told malaysiakini on hearing the news that he was not in the line-up. Adenan had a falling out with Taib last year following his (Adenan's) decision to resign from his federal post.

'Lack of rejuvenation'

Commenting on the new state cabinet, a senior academic with a local university said it was understandable why Taib had opted to retain 'the same old tired-looking faces in his new cabinet'.

"Among other things, it reflects a lack of rejuvenation, the same way Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi kept the same old faces from the Mahathir era when he announced his cabinet after the 2004 general elections," he said.

"It does look like Adenan has been sent to Conventry (into exile)," added the academic.

A PBB leader told malaysiakini he had expected the Adenan exclusion as the latter was not seen at last night prayer session at Taib's house in Jalan Bako.

Political observers, however, say the fact that Taib has called his cabinet a transitional one indicates that he would consult federal leaders before making changes.

Sarawak has previously been criticised of having a jumbo-sized cabinet with the number of assistant ministers at one time reaching 19. This figure has now been reduced to 16.

Previously, ministers and assistant ministers made up half of the 62-member state legislative assembly which has now been enlarged to 71.

Of the 71, the BN controls 62 seats, the opposition eight with one Independent assemblyman.