By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 14: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice president Datuk Liwan Lagang has lauded PRS Youth chief Datuk Snowdan Lawan for his “rare act of humility” in withdrawing from contesting the party’s deputy president post in the upcoming Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC), calling it a noble decision made in the interest of party unity and coalition strength.
Liwan, who is also Deputy Minister of Telecommunication, said Snowdan’s move reflected an uncommon leadership quality in today’s political climate, one that places collective harmony above personal ambition.
“I think now, in this world, personal gain and personal ambition often take precedence. A leader choosing unity and harmony of the party over his own political journey is something that rarely happens.
“But Datuk Snowdan did something very noble and should be praised. Ignoring his own political ambition and prioritising the unity and strength of PRS above all. This is rare,” he said when extending his support to Snowdan during a press conference held at the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts’s meeting room in Baitulmakmur Complex today.
Citing a verse from the Bible, Philippians 2:3, Liwan said Snowdan’s humility embodied the teaching to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourself.”
“Snowdan is exemplary. He has shown leadership rooted in humility. This kind of quality is very difficult to find, even among leaders like myself,” he admitted.
He also emphasised that Snowdan’s decision demonstrated his commitment to ensuring PRS remains stable and united as part of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, particularly with 17 new Sarawak State Legislative Assembly seats expected to be created in Sarawak under the redrawing of constituency boundaries and contested in the next Sarawak election.
Liwan, who entered politics the same year as Snowdan, described his colleague as a “noble man” and said he understood the personal difficulty behind such a decision.
“We are both among the third line of senior elected representatives in PRS. Sometimes, seniority doesn’t mean we have to fight. It means we have to make difficult decisions for the greater harmony and benefit of all members,” he said.
Liwan also drew parallels with the leadership stability shown by other GPS component parties such as Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), which he said had demonstrated unity through wise leadership decisions.
“We are encouraged to see stability across GPS. PBB, for example, is not short of credible leaders, but they make wise decisions. The same goes for SUPP and PDP. Datuk Snowdan’s decision reflects that same spirit of collective wisdom,” he said.
Liwan concluded by saying that while others in PRS may still choose to contest positions in the TDC, Snowdan’s move has set a high standard of humility and leadership for the party’s future.
“A great decision requires a great personality. Datuk Snowdan has shown that kind of greatness,” he said.
With Snowdan’s withdrawal, he will be giving wat to the incumbent, Datuk Majang Renggi as the sole contender for the deputy president post. The PRS TDC is scheduled for Oct 18 and 19 in Kuching. — DayakDaily
