By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 16: With just two days left before Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) holds its Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC), political observer and academic Datuk Prof Dr Jayum Anak Jawan believes that the party is all but set to elect Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai as its third president.
Dr Jayum, who is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), said that all signs point to a decisive win for Sikie, unless his challenger, Pelagus assemblyman Wilson Nyabong Ijang, manages an unexpected turnaround.
“It is said to be almost certain that Sikie (Minister in the Premier’s Department and Kakus assemblyman) will be elected its third president. Unless his challenger, Wilson Nyabong Ijang, can turn the tide, the latter is set to take his position as an ordinary member of the party,” he said in a statement today.
Nyabong, who was previously among the 14 elected supreme council members, would lose little apart from influence within the party hierarchy should he be defeated, Jayum noted, adding that Nyabong’s status as a sitting lawmaker ensures he remains politically relevant.
Meanwhile, the deputy presidency is already settled, with Samalaju assemblyman and Deputy Port Development Minister Datuk Majang Renggi being returned unopposed after PRS Youth chief Dato Snowdan Lawan withdrew his candidacy.
Jayum commended Snowdan’s decision, describing it as a move that reflects self-awareness and a desire to preserve party unity.
“It is good when an individual knows his own capacity and steps aside to avoid public vindication from party members. At least when one withdraws, defeat is not obvious, although it would amount to almost the same thing. As Shakespeare once said in Romeo and Juliet: ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,’” he remarked.
However, Jayum suggested that Snowdan could go a step further by resigning from his position as Deputy Minister to allow the next youth chief to assume a leadership role in government.
“To complete his pledge and be a gentleman politician, Snowdan should also tender his resignation as deputy minister to pave the way for the next youth chief to be made a deputy minister,” he said, citing examples of former federal ministers Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad who resigned from their ministerial posts after losing their respective party leadership contests.
“After all public positions are lost, what’s left of any individual is their personal integrity,” he added.
Turning to the youth wing, Jayum said that all indications suggest Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon will emerge as the new PRS Youth Chief, only the second in the party’s history.
“There were opinions that the post should be given to a non-Iban, perhaps making him the favourite. But that alone should not be the consideration as members seek the best person to lead the youth movement within the party,” he commented, adding that it remains to be seen whether there will be any last-minute withdrawals akin to Snowdan’s.
Jayum also highlighted that one of the most intriguing contests to watch will be for the supreme council seats, which has attracted several accomplished professionals and entrepreneurs.
“Some of them have good educational backgrounds and can stand as tall as other leaders in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties. PRS has lagged behind because its leadership has failed to nurture and prepare its youth for these roles,” he observed.
He pointed out that the profiles of PRS top leaders still fall short when compared to those from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), an issue the new leadership must urgently address if the party intends to remain competitive within the coalition.
Looking ahead, Jayum said the incoming president will inherit a strong party that performed well in the last two elections, winning all 11 State seats it contested in 2021 and five out of six federal seats in 2022.
However, he cautioned that the incoming leader faces several pressing challenges.
“The most important questions are: how will he manoeuvre PRS in the contest for the new 17 State constituencies, what is his vision and mission for party members, and can he sustain PRS’s strong performance in future State and federal elections?” Jayum concluded.
The PRS TDC is scheduled for Oct 18 and 19, where the party will elect its president, youth chief, and members of its supreme council. — DayakDaily
