By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, Feb 15: Roughly 20 people from Kampung Usaha Jaya Tukau Miri, led by former Padungan assemblyman Dominic Ng, staged a peaceful assembly at Southlake Permyjaya here this afternoon.
The participants held up banners demanding the state government to, among others, implement the Land Code (Amendment) Bill 2018 immediately. The amendment was passed by the State Legislative Assembly in July last year.
The peaceful assembly was held at Southlake Permyjaya because Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg was scheduled to be there for the ‘Berambeh Ngopi Ngan CM Abang Jo’ with about 500 Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) members.
The assembly participants dispersed peacefully shortly after Abang Johari arrived at about 3.30pm and the closed-door dialogue started thereafter.
Meanwhile, the PBB members were from Piasau, Pujut, Senadin, Bekenu and Lambir.
Also present were Sibuti MP Lukanisman Awang Sauni, Assistant Minister of Women, Family and Childhood Development Rosey Yunus, Lambir assemblyman Ripin Lamat, PBB Pujut branch chairman Abu Bakar Amit and PBB Senadin branch chairman Julaihi Mohamad.
Lukanisman told reporters that the gathering was meant to serve as a platform for the party members to interact with the chief minister through a question-and-answer session.
“It’s a sharing session, where we share what the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) political direction in Miri is and what we need to do with our coalitions parties,” he said.
Then there’s the GPS’s logo and preparations for the next state election.
“We want to wrest back seats that we lost in the last election while retaining our current seats. We are eager to promote our new party,” said Lukanisman.
He, however, admitted that it would not be an easy task as “we have been using the `dacing’ symbol for some 50 years”, but he believed with Abang Johari’s leadership, all obstacles would be successfully surmounted.
When prodded whether the dialogue session has anything to do with a possible early election, he said: “The political situation is a bit messy, anything can happen. We are closely monitoring the political development.” — DayakDaily
