By Roslan Mutu
KUCHING, Aug 13: With the stage set and the curtains drawn wide, as the party faithful brace for the looming showdown, one question slices through the political chatter — will this finally be the moment an Orang Ulu takes the helm of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), a party long anchored in Iban leadership?
Last Sunday, PRS’ supreme council ended months of speculation by unanimously agreeing to throw open every position in the party for contest at its Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC) on Oct 18–19.
For seasoned observers, it was less a shock and more the formal green light for a leadership battle that had been brewing behind the scenes.
Since its birth in 2004 from the ashes of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), itself an offshoot of the now-defunct Sarawak National Party (SNAP), PRS has known only two presidents, namely the late Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing and current leader Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, who stepped in after Masing’s sudden death on Oct 31, 2021.
Today, PRS stands as the third largest component of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), with 11 State assemblypersons, five members of Parliament (MPs), a senator, and over 20,000 members.
Yet despite this political footprint, Orang Ulu representation within its top elected ranks remains thin with just two State assemblymen, namely Belaga’s Datuk Liwan Lagang who is also the Deputy Minister of Public Utility and Murum’s Kennedy Chukpai Ugon.
The most likely contenders for the presidency, according to party insiders, are a familiar roster of Iban leaders — Salang, Pelagus assemblyman Wilson Nyabong Ijang (already in the running), deputy president Dato Majang Renggi, Youth chief Datuk Snowdan Lawan, and the party’s only full cabinet minister, Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai.
By sheer numbers and factional strength, the odds of PRS electing an Orang Ulu president are razor-thin.
Liwan has declined to comment, citing the party’s democratic principles, while Chukpai has openly set his sights on the Youth chief position, leaving the presidency well beyond Orang Ulu reach, at least for now. — DayakDaily
