By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, Feb 16: Newly elected vice president (VP) of the Bumiputera wing for Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Datuk Len Talif Salleh emphasises the importance of leadership transition in ensuring the party’s relevance in the future.
Quoting a Malay idiom, “Patah tumbuh hilang berganti”—which means that when something is lost, it is replaced—Len referred to two global parties, namely the Indian National Congress and Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which once led their respective governments but eventually lost power.
“Because of that, they (Indian National Congress and LDP) set an example so that PBB does not suffer the same fate,” said Len when met by reporters after the announcement of the PBB election results at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
He commended PBB’s structured approach to leadership succession, ensuring a smooth transition from the older generation to a younger cohort of leaders.
“To remain relevant, you need a proper transition of power in an organised manner, and PBB has been doing just that. Looking back at my political journey over the past 15 years, PBB’s leadership succession has been well-practised,” he said.
Meanwhile, Len also expressed gratitude for the party’s democratic processes in allowing the delegates to elect their new leaders.
“Thank God we have completed the election process, where we offered ourselves—I offered myself, and praise God, I was elected as the VP,” added Len.
He described the election process as a historic moment, praising the smooth conduct of the polls, which were completed in less than two hours.
When asked how he intends to contribute to the party, Len drew on his experience as a government servant for over 30 years, particularly in project implementation.
“There are many planned projects, and we must understand the procedures involved. As we heard during the earlier debates, issues related to water and electricity take time to resolve—not because we want delays, but because of the processes required to maintain project integrity,” he explained.
He further pointed out that while funding is no longer a major issue, other challenges remain.
“There are many projects being implemented at the same time. We face constraints in execution capacity and raw material supply, which are beyond our control. As a VP, I will use this platform to clarify these challenges to party members, especially at the grassroots level, so we can address them together and ensure projects are carried out efficiently,” said Len. –DayakDaily
