SIBU, Oct 19: The whole Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Ngemah branch members, numbering 1,037 strong, have quit the party and pledged their support to GPS under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
About 200 members gathered at a leading hotel here today to tender their resignation letter as PSB members. The ceremony was witnessed by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing.
Protem chairperson of the branch, Susan Clement Ingun said they had grown disillusioned with the party which they joined in 2019. PSB was then known as United People’s Party (UPP).
“When PSB, rebranding from UPP in 2019, we thought that we had made the best choice to join it as a new platform for us and the rakyat to seek for development in our area. We were very excited then and we had managed to gather around 2,000 new PSB members,” she recalled.
PSB protem committee for Ngemah constituency, she said, was the first group to be officiated by party president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh.
However, overtime their voices were under the control of the party where they were no longer free to express their ideas and give feedback.
Susan said the situation became worse when there were many hidden agendas within the party.
“We don’t see PSB making plans to help the rakyat. All they did were to criticise the state government and condemn whatever developments given to the rakyat by the state government,” she said.
Owing to all these, she said they had completely lost faith in the party leadership for their failure to contribute not only for the development of the people but also for their welfare and well-being.
“Hence today we are tendering our resignation letter as PSB party members and pledge to follow the right path to support GPS under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg,” she said.
They were also supporting GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) as the Chief Minister is genuine and sincere in bringing development to the state especially to the rural area.
“We would also like to give our heartfelt thanks to Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Dr Jemut Masing for his words of advice as well as his time in meeting us and told us that the door of GPS is always open,” she said.
Masing later told reporters that the group was most welcome to join GPS.
“They are pledging to support GPS and the leadership of Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari and they are doing so via PRS. A lot of them were with us when I was in Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).
“When PBDS was deregistered, PRS was formed and they joined me. However, maybe due to some misunderstandings with the people’s representative of the area, they left to join PSB,” he said.
On the candidate for Ngemah for the coming state election, Masing said the group can nominate their own candidate but it was up to the Chief Minister to decide. —DayakDaily
