By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 8: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) National Women’s Wing and National Youth Wing have backed incumbent Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa to defend Engkilili under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) banner, citing his four consecutive election wins.
In a Facebook post, the two wings also backed PDP’s efforts to retain all eight seats currently represented by the party including Engkilili and Bawang Assan while acknowledging that the final decision rests with GPS leadership.
They cited past seat allocation adjustments involving Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), after three PDP assemblymen crossed over to the party, resulting in changes to the seats they represented.
The wings said PDP had respected those arrangements and did not insist on reclaiming the seats simply because they had traditionally belonged to the party.
“If changes in political circumstances justified adjustments to seat allocations in the past, the same principle should apply today. Different standards should not be applied simply because different GPS component parties are involved,” the post said.
They argued that historical seat allocations should not be the sole basis for future arrangements, urging GPS to consider grassroots strength, voter acceptance and candidates’ electoral competitiveness.
“No constituency is the permanent property of any political party or individual, nor should an electoral seat be treated as a political inheritance passed down from one election to the next,” they said.
The two wings said Rayong’s four consecutive victories in Engkilili, despite contesting under different political platforms, reflected his established support among local voters.
They also pointed to PDP’s expanded grassroots presence following the dissolution of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), when the incumbent assemblymen for Engkilili and Bawang Assan joined the party, bringing their community networks and political experience.
These developments, they said, had strengthened PDP’s presence in both constituencies and should be considered during GPS seat allocation discussions.
The wings also distinguished between seat allocation and candidate selection, saying PDP’s grassroots presence should be considered when deciding which component party defends a constituency, while candidates should be selected based on local circumstances and voter expectations.
“The overriding objective must be to ensure that GPS fields candidates who are best positioned to win the confidence of voters and deliver effective representation,” the statement said.
They also backed GPS Deputy Chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas’ call for the coalition to maintain its proven electoral strategies while adapting to changing conditions on the ground.
“We believe the maturity of Sarawak’s political landscape lies in the ability of GPS component parties to express their respective positions openly, while resolving differences through constructive discussions that place the coalition’s collective interests and the people’s mandate above all else.
“Respecting history does not mean being bound by it. Valuing experience does not mean rejecting change,” the post said.
Both wings reaffirmed their support for PDP to defend all eight seats under GPS, while respecting the authority of GPS chairman and Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to make the final decisions on seat allocations and candidate selections. — DayakDaily
