By Christopher Lidom and Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 5: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will not give way to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), particularly in Saratok and Puncak Borneo seats, in the next 15th General Election (GE15).
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg emphasised this when reiterating GPS’ stand when met at the N26 Gedong Aidilfitri gathering held at a hotel here today.
“I have already said that we (GPS) will field (candidates) for all the 31 seats,” he told the press.
The GPS chairman has in fact made known the party’s intention to defend all 31 parliamentary seats at the next GE15 during a recent interview with Singapore’s The Straits Times.
He said the coalition was cautiously hopeful of winning big, with a convincing majority of perhaps more than two-thirds of the seats.
Currently, Bersatu commands two parliamentary seats in Sarawak through Datuk Ali Biju in Saratok and Datuk Willie Mongin in Puncak Borneo following the defection of the two leaders from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
Ali, who is also Federal Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, has expressed hope for GPS to make way for him to defend the Saratok seat in GE15 after he had ‘sacrificed’ the Krian state constituency in the last 12th Sarawak Election.
In Dec 10 last year, Ali who initially decided to defend the Krian seat as an independent due to strong grassroots demand had pulled out from the race at the eleventh hour to give way to new GPS candidate Friday Belik after taking advice from Bersatu’s top leadership.
He made the important decision to maintain the harmonious relationship between GPS and Bersatu.
Meanwhile, Willie, who is also Federal Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, has also on April 30 this year made clear his intention to defend the Puncak Borneo seat in GE15.
He said as the incumbent, it was only proper for him to defend the seat.
Ali and Willie won their parliamentary seats on a Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket in 2018. Both MPs joined Bersatu following the fall of the PH government. — DayakDaily
