By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 10: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Women’s Wing will intensify efforts to strengthen its election machinery across all State constituencies to ensure Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secure an even stronger mandate as preparations gather pace for the 13th Sarawak Election, which is widely expected to be called this year.
PBB Women chief Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said preparations are being intensified at all levels, including branch and grassroots, to ensure PBB are fully prepared whenever the election is called.
“We do not know exactly when the election will be held, but we know the term of the current State Legislative Assembly ends in February 2027. Elections can be called any time and therefore, our preparations must be solid and comprehensive,” she told reporters after chairing the PBB Women Supreme Council Meeting at PBB Headquarters in Jalan Bako today.
Fatimah, who is also Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, said all wings of the party stand firmly behind Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s leadership and are united in their efforts to ensure GPS secures a more convincing mandate from the people.
“We want GPS to be given an even stronger mandate so that the Premier can continue fighting for his vision and mission for Sarawak. We are united behind his leadership and will work together to ensure GPS remains strong and cohesive as we approach the election,” she said.
Fatimah added that unity within PBB and among GPS component parties would be crucial in ensuring the coalition enters the election as a cohesive and formidable force capable of securing greater public support.
On preparations, she said every constituency would further streamline and strengthen its branch-level operations, with clearly defined responsibilities to ensure election preparations are implemented effectively and systematically.
She stressed that PBB Women members have remained active throughout the year and do not wait until election season to engage with communities.
“Our service is continuous. We do not become active only when elections are approaching. Whether it is election time or not, our women members continue serving the people through various programmes and activities,” she said.
Fatimah said strengthening the party machinery is increasingly important in view of the growing electorate resulting from automatic voter registration and the implementation of Undi18.
She noted that the party must now engage not only newly eligible young voters but also individuals above the age of 18 who were previously unregistered and have now been automatically included in the electoral roll.
“This is a major challenge for us. With the increase in the number of voters, especially new voters, we need to intensify our efforts to identify and understand them. We need to reach out to them and ensure they are aware of the government’s initiatives, policies and assistance programmes,” she said.
To support these efforts, PBB Women will continue organising outreach initiatives such as Kamek Prihatin and Kitak Penting, while empowering members to serve as facilitators in disseminating information on welfare assistance and government programmes.
Fatimah said such initiatives play an important role in connecting people with support available from the Sarawak government, including assistance for senior citizens, children, kidney patients and housing improvement programmes.
She also revealed that PBB Women membership had reached 182,773 as of July 8, while total PBB membership stood at 398,000.
Deputy Minister of Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations and Samariang assemblywoman Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali; Deputy Minister of Woman and Childhood Development and Bekenu assemblywoman Datuk Rosey Yunus; Batang Sadong MP Rodiyah Sapiee, and Lingga assemblywoman Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor were among those present. — DayakDaily
