KUCHING, Nov 22: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Selangau Division as well as Kakus and Tamin branches committee members have come forward to state their disapproval of its branch chairman Joshua Jabeng’s action in attacking the party state chief Baru Bian.
In a joint-statement today, they noted that Joshua has been reported to have undermined the leadership of Baru in claiming that 18 out of 30 of the party’s divisional leaders in Sarawak have pledged to remove Baru as the state chief.
It was signed by 16 members including Tamin branch deputy chief Simon Joseph, the branch secretary Mathew Vanyai, Selangau branch publicity chief Dana Daling, Selangau AMK chief Nelson Parka.
“We strongly disapprove and disassociate our division from such action and Joshua Jabeng has embarked on this misguided action by himself and is doing this purely on his own personal agenda,” the statement emphasised.
The group claimed that Joshua has on numerous occasions made known his frustrations for not being appointed to any government positions or in government-linked companies (GLCs) since Pakatan Harapan (PH) became the federal government.
“His grievances are fueled by his own perception that he had ‘made’ Baru the MP of Selangau.
“The point is that he has now gone on a frolic of his own and we must make it as clearly as possible that his actions are not endorsed by the division,” the statement stressed.
Further, the group pressed that it was now crystal clear that Joshua cannot substantiate his mischievous statement that ’18 out of 30 branch leaders are in support of removing Baru Bian’.
“Through a press conference on Nov 21 in Kuala Lumpur, it shows that the Ketua Cabangs (branch chiefs) and the majority of the Majlis Pimpinan Negeri (MPN or State Leadership Council) are still very much behind the leadership of YB Baru Bian in Sarawak,” they said.
The group also viewed that Joshua has breached the trust of divisional party grassroot members in publicly sought to undermine the state MPN chairman.
They also demanded that Joshua issue an apology to the division, failing which a report will be made against him to the Disciplinary Committee in no uncertain terms.
“We the grassroots of Selangau are fully supportive of YB Baru Bian as MP of Selangau and it is our pride that he is representing Sarawak as Minister in the federal Cabinet.
“YB Baru is also the democratically elected chairman of the MPN Sarawak and any insidious attempts to undermine MPN Sarawak’s autonomy will be met with the full force of Sarawakian Keadilan members,” they stressed.— DayakDaily
