By Shikin Louis & Amanda L.
KUCHING: Winning all 47 seats contested by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will not be enough, with its Youth movement being tasked with helping Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secure victories across all 82 constituencies in the 13th Sarawak Election.
PBB Youth chief Datuk Martin Ben said the movement must also mobilise its branches to support GPS component partners Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) in the remaining 35 constituencies.
He said PBB Youth must take the lead in ensuring strong victories in its 47 constituencies while extending assistance to its coalition partners contesting the other seats.
“We want all 82 seats to win. PBB must take the lead, win all 47 convincingly, but our 35 friends from the component parties must also be helped,” he said when speaking at the launch of the Sarawak PBB Youth election machinery at Kampung Melayu Stakan today.
Martin, who is also a PBB vice-president and Kedup incumbent assemblyman, further said the Youth movement should go beyond traditional campaign activities such as putting up flags and posters or travelling around villages.
Instead, he called on members to adopt a data-driven approach by analysing voter lists, identifying party supporters and mobilising them to cast their ballots on December 12.
“It is not enough for us to drive up and down the streets and villages without knowing how many voters are registered at a particular polling centre or polling district,” he said.
He urged PBB branch chiefs to obtain voter lists from the party’s secretariat and headquarters, distribute them among branches and polling districts, and use the information to plan their respective campaign strategies.
Martin said PBB Youth should work closely with the party’s Women’s Wing and parent body to reach out to members and registered voters in villages, longhouses, housing estates and residential areas.
He noted that women accounted for almost half of Sarawak’s electorate, making cooperation between the two wings important in ensuring wider voter outreach.
He also called for younger members with less election experience to be trained in grassroots campaigning and voter engagement.
Martin said the movement should also be well-versed in the Sarawak government’s initiatives under the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 so its members could explain the policies and achievements to grassroots supporters.
He noted that the strategy, launched in 2021, had reached its halfway point, with five years of implementation having passed.
Among the initiatives he highlighted were the RM1,000 Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS), Kenyalang Gold Card (KGC), Sarawak Basic Needs Assistance (SKAS) and various education-related assistance, including support for students studying outside Sarawak.
He said these initiatives, together with the State’s increased revenue, were among the achievements PBB Youth could share with voters during the election campaign.
Martin said the movement had about 33 to 34 days to prepare for polling and should begin organising its activities at branch and constituency levels rather than waiting until the official campaign period.
He added that PBB Youth was ready to work hard to ensure Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg continued leading the State Government, saying securing a strong mandate would be the movement’s contribution in return for his leadership.
He also expressed hope that more young party members would be considered for candidacy in future elections as part of efforts to rejuvenate the party.
The Election Commission has set November 28 for nomination, December 8 for early voting and December 12 for polling. — DayakDaily
