Put party interest first, Awg Tengah tells PBB members
KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB) acting deputy chairman Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan yesterday urged party members to put the interest of the party above everything else in order to stay relevant and become even stronger.
Awang Tengah, who is Deputy Chief Minister, said loyalty to the party was of paramount importance to enable it to continue to serve the state and the people, irrespective of race and religion.
“As party ( PBB) members, we ought to serve the party with loyalty and not join the party for self-interest… we must be disciplined and abide by the party’s constitution in order to stay relevant and become even stronger in our endeavour to lead the state and the people in the future,” he stressed.
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, gave these reminders when closing the PBB Sebuyau branch annual general meeting (AGM) at Grand Dormani Rajah Court Hotel here.
He stressed that PBB, which started as a small party, was growing stronger and bigger due to the commitment and dedication of party members and had now become the lynchpin of the state government.
Despite having faced various challenges, including the 1987 Ming Court affair when political dissidents tried to topple the then chief minister Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, PBB was able to survive until today, Awang Tengah told the delegates.
He was glad to note that PBB was stable and able to strengthen itself due to the commitment of party members who remained loyal to the party and were very disciplined, enabling PBB to become the second largest political party in the country after Umno.
Awang Tengah hoped that party members would maintain their esprit de corps.
He reminded that the transition of power as chief minister from Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud (now Head of State) to the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem and Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg went on smoothly without any glitches.
“Over the last three years, we have witnessed three transitions of power as chief minister, and they all went on smoothly… so this indicates that party( P BB) members are matured, following the party constitution and hierarchy,” Awang Tengah, who is Second Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources, said.
He also dwelled on the days when there was little development in Sarawak during the colonial era unlike the present day where there is rapid development.
He also called on the people to support Abang Johari’s vision for digital economy to develop the state.
Meanwhile, the delegates roared when Awang Tengah called for support to Abang Johari’s struggle to reclaim Sarawak’s rights as enshrined under Malaysia Agreement 1963 ( MA63).
Also present were Assistant Minister of Coastal Road and Sebuyau PBB branch chairman Datuk Julaihi Narawi and his wife Datin Sadiah Buji, Assistant Minister of E- Commerce Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, Simunjan assemblyman Awla Dris and PBB executive secretary Awang Antek Awang Bujang.