‘PR parties set to fight over seats’

October 8, 2014

SIBU: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will have its hands full come the next state election, with so many parties in the pact scrambling for the same seats.

With Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP) now knocking on its door and eyeing Pelagus, Engkilili, Tamin, Kakus, Katibas and Padungan seats, it is inevitable that component parties of PR will cross swords with each other.

PBB Supreme Council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah observed: “With the many parties scrambling for the same seats, it’s going to be interesting watching them (DAP, PKR, PAS and now SWP) fighting it out on who to represent PR.”

He was commenting on SWP’s latest move to apply to join the state PR as soon as possible.

Abdul Karim, who is Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Asajaya assemblyman, added Malaysia is a democratic country and any party could choose either to stand alone or be in a “grouping like BN or PR”.

“If SWP wants to join PR, that’s their choice. I wish them all the best. But, how many times do they want to declare they are joining PR?

“I thought even during the last general election, they had declared that they were with PR. This declaration this time round, is it another reiteration to get into the news?” he asked.

State BN secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi said PR was not a registered entity and SWP should know that there was no necessity to apply to be with them.

“And they are opposition after all, and they can decide as they wish and it doesn’t matter to BN and we will fight in unity to ensure BN victory,” Dr Rundi, who is Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Electricity and Telecommunications), told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Kakus assemblyman Datuk John Sikie Tayai said SWP could say what they liked.

Sikie, who is PRS vice president, recalled that previously SWP had declared themselves to be BN-friendly.

But after the disappointing results in the last general election, SWP now wanted to join PR, he noted.

“This is a democratic country…anybody can stand where they like but it is the people that decide at the end of the day.

“I believe people know who they (SWP) are, especially after the last general election.

“I am sure the people are smart enough to choose,” Sikie said.

In the last parliamentary election, SWP maintained that they were BN-friendly but vowed to fight PRS in all its six seats; namely Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Julau, Kanowit, Hulu Rajang and Selangau.

PRS retained all the six seats and sent SWP packing. -TheBorneoPost