Karim: Bekir is not the only one fit for Kota Samarahan

September 11, 2011

KUCHING: PBB has many good candidates to contest in Kota Samarahan in the event that incumbent Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib decides not to seek re-election in the next general election.

Asajaya assemblyman Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir, the eldest son of Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, was not the only possible candidate for the constituency.

Raya cheer: Karim (second right) and wife Zuraini Abdul Jabbar (left) welcoming guests to their open house.

“PBB is never short of good candidates. We have dozens of good candidates which we can throw in at any time in an election and we’ll win handsomely.

“I don’t mean to be arrogant but I’m sure when we face the parliamentary polls, the majority can easily be in five-digit figure. Kota Samarahan is Barisan Nasional’s bastion,” he told reporters at his Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house.

It was recently reported that Bekir, a corporate leader, had stated his intention to be a politician.

A member of PBB, since he was 19, he had also said he hoped to get his father’s blessing for his move into politics.

Taib did not mention where his son would contest in the coming general election although it is speculated that he would replace his brother Sulaiman in Kota Samarahan.

Karim, meanwhile, said it was unfair to draw comparisons between Bekir and Sulaiman.

“Different people have different styles. So it’s unfair to equate Sulaiman with Bekir. There’s nothing wrong with Sulaiman’s performance,” he said.

Sulaiman might not be able to visit and service his constituents as often as he desired but he had a good working relationship with other assemblymen, grassroots leaders and administrators in Samarahan.

Such working relations were clearly reflected in this year’s state polls results where Asajaya and Muara Tuang, both under Kota Samarahan, enjoyed big majority of about 4,489 and 7,843 respectively.

Karim said if Bekir was endorsed by Barisan to stand in Kota Samarahan, he and his supporters in Asajaya would assist and give him their fullest support.

Meanwhile, Deputy Parliament Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar confirmed that Sulaiman had been attending Dewan Rakyat sitting once in a while.

“I was told that he walked in to attend the sitting for half and hour or more before leaving when I was not in. So it’s still okay under the Parliament’s constitution,” he said, adding that an MP would only lose his seat if he failed to turned up without reason for six months consecutively.