Bersatu now under PH Sarawak coalition
KUCHING: Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak has accepted Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Sarawak into its fold.
The other PH Sarawak members are the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).
“We have just accepted PPBM (Bersatu) Sarawak into PH Sarawak. We are now a fourparty coalition and will take on the four-party GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) in the coming state election,” PH Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen told a press conference yesterday following a PH Sarawak meeting.
“And pursuant to that, we have formed our PH Sarawak secretariat, represented by two leaders from each of the component parties. We will be having our convention in about two months’ time. The venue is to be confirmed.”
The DAP Sarawak chairman said the two representatives from DAP for the PH Sarawak secretariat are secretary-general Alan Ling and Bandar Kuching member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yii.
Chong said the physical office for the secretariat will be made known later.
On the meeting, he said PH leaders had a long discussion on the strategy to take on GPS in the next state election.
“It is a fruitful meeting. It is just a matter of rolling out our plans and strategies.”
On whether PH Sarawak would stick to its seat allocation from the last Sarawak election now that there is a new coalition member, Chong replied, “It is in the process. There will be further meetings to decide on the seats.”
According to Chong, it would not be a problem for the four component parties to proceed with seat negotiation.
“It is more important for us to cooperate among the four parties. We have to work as a united front to roll out and help to make sure people are aware of national policies that are beneficial to them,” he said.
When pressed whether Bersatu would contest in the next Sarawak election he said, “PH is definitely contesting, whether it’s PPBM, DAP, PKR or Amanah. It will all be PH. That is the consensus we have.”
He added it is unlikely PH Sarawak will have more than one candidate from its component parties in one constituency.
The next Sarawak election is due in 2021.