Awg Tengah dismisses viral purported line-up of PSB as rubbish
KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, has dismissed as rubbish a purported line-up of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) with him as president being circulated on WhatsApp.
When contacted from Miri, Awang Tengah said: “They should come up with a more ‘believeable’ list. I am a PBB man, always had and always will be.”
He believes the list is the work of certain quarters with ill intent to cause a rift in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leadership.
Rumours that Awang Tengah would be quitting PBB to join PSB have been spreading in WhatsApp when an eye-popping list put him as PSB president while the present president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh will be his deputy together with former Selangau MP Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun and Bukit Kota assemblyman and PBB member Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail.
Apart from the denial from Awang Tengah himself, his ministerial office released a statement yesterday denying the rumours and attributed the rumours to certain parties with ill intention of trying to split GPS.
The office said Awang Tengah was initially unwilling to respond to the baseless rumours that were spreading in WhatsApp groups.
“The rumours were spread by certain parties with ill intention to create strife within the GPS coalition,” the statement from the office said.
Other politicians mentioned in the apparent fake list are Mambong assemblyman Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (as PSB secretary general), George Lo (deputy secretary general), Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa (youth chief), Rosey Yunus (women chief), Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat (treasurer general), Lambir assemblyman Ripin Lamat (deputy treasurer general) and former Lubok Antu MP Datuk William Nyalau Badak, Dudong assemblyman Datuk Tiong Thai King and Gedong assemblyman Datuk Naroden Majais as senior vice presidents.
The list also named former Marudi assemblyman Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran as information chief with Opar assemblyman Dato Ranum Mina and former political secretary to the Chief Minister, Richard Will Uban, as his assistants.
Mentioned in the list as vice presidents are Belawai assemblyman Datu Len Talif Salleh, Saribas assemblyman Razi Sitam, Bukit Begunan assemblyman Datuk Mong Dagang, former Teras president Banyi Beriak, former Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng and politician Bruce Lee.