Editor’s Note: This story has been updated at 9.00am on Nov 16, 2021. We apologise for the mistake made.
By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 15: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) which has been fielding 20 to 30 per cent new faces in every election is expected to do the same for this upcoming State polls.
PBB vice-president Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said introducing new faces in both parliamentary and State elections is important to ensure that the party’s administration is not static.
However, he remained tight-lipped about the list of new candidates, adding that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg who is also the PBB president will make the announcement.
“If the party did not ask for their (seat incumbents) pictures to make (campaigning) posters then they should know it’s not forthcoming, or they might have been politely informed by their leaders that they might be dropped to give way to new faces.
“That is a normal thing in PBB and from past experiences, those who have been asked to withdraw or who have not been renominated, they will respect the decision of the party,” he told reporters at a press conference after launching the ‘Asia’s Sarawak 360 Experience: Stories from The Heart’ programme held at Kuching Old Courthouse today.
Abdul Karim who is also the Asajaya incumbent was also asked whether there will be swapping of seats among Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties especially relating to Pakan, Mambong and Bekenu seats.
In response, he stressed that the component parties in GPS — PBB, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) — are friendly parties and the matter would be discussed among themselves.
“This is never a problem. It has happened before and it is bound to happen again, but then it will not lead to an extent that there will be a big quarrel among the component parties.
“The parties will understand and from the ground, they would know who is the most winnable candidate for that particular constituency,” he added.
The Pakan seat is currently held by Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom while the Bekenu seat by Datuk Rosey Yunus of which both incumbents are from PBB.
However, the two seats were among eight seats allocated to PDP within the former Sarawak Barisan National (BN) structure for the 2016 Sarawak Election.
The Mambong seat on the other hand, which is traditionally a SUPP seat, is currently held by Datuk Dr Jerip Susil who joined PBB in 2019. — DayakDaily
