By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 30: Dalat incumbent Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah has yet to confirm whether she will defend the constituency in the coming 13th Sarawak Election, despite having expressed her intention to step down in 2022.
Instead, Fatimah, who is also the caretaker Minister for Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak, asked the media to wait until nomination day for further developments.
“Let us wait until nomination day,” she said when met at a press conference for the South Asian International Women Assembly (SIWA) 2026 at Wisma Wanita here on Thursday (Oct 29), according to a TVS news report.
She also reminded that the Election Commission (EC) is scheduled to hold a special meeting on Nov 6 to determine key dates for the Sarawak election, including nomination and polling days.
“We will have a clearer picture from there. Just wait,” she said when asked about the possibility of contesting again.
Fatimah has been the Dalat assemblywoman since 2001 and also serves as the chief of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s (PBB) Wanita wing.
In Feb 2022, she had expressed her intention to make her then-current term her last as an elected representative, saying she wanted to make way for other leaders.
On Oct 28, PBB president and caretaker Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said some members were interested in stepping down, though he did not name them.
He said this after chairing a special closed-door meeting with leaders of the four component parties in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition—PBB, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP).
The Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) was dissolved on Oct 26.
In the 12th Sarawak Election in 2021, Fatimah defended the Dalat seat, securing 93.9 per cent or 7,085 votes. She beat out Salleh Mahali of Parti Bumi Kenyalang, who managed 460 votes (6.1 per cent). — DayakDaily
