PBDS Baru says it does not support PH or BN
KUCHING: PBDS Baru claims that it has been insulted and accused by state PKR and DAP Dayak members as being the intervenors of Pakatan Harapan’s ( PH) goal to win the election.
Its president Cobbold John Lusoi said PBDS Baru has to be part of this 14th General Election by contesting in at least five seats, to be the voice of the Dayak community even though it will not be able to form the government with such number of seats.
Is PBDS Baru contesting in the upcoming GE14 the cause of either giant political coalition to win or lose the election? Why are we in PBDS Baru being blamed for contesting as if to give leverage to BN as claimed by Dayak members in PH? We do not support both sides (BN and PH) because we know where we stand. If PH thinks that they should support Dayak cause, they can always support PBDS Baru by not condemning us for our democratic rights to stand for our people. We know we are not national players to form a government. Cobbold John Lusoi, PBDS Baru president
“Is PBDS Baru contesting in the upcoming GE14 the cause of either giant political coalition to win or lose the election? Why are we in PBDS Baru being blamed for contesting as if to give leverage to BN as claimed by Dayak members in PH? We do not support both sides ( BN and PH) because we know where we stand. If PH thinks that they should support Dayak cause, they can always support PBDS Baru by not condemning us for our democratic rights to stand for our people. We know we are not national players to form a government.
“We do not deny that we had negative comments on PH and also BN on various occasions but we also support both sides, on their right actions as well. Anyway, PBDS Baru has never opposed for the sake of opposing, we only oppose the wrongdoings and unfairness. What is right, we support and what is wrong, we oppose, it’s as simple as that,” said Cobbold.
He was commenting on comments made against PBDS Baru by supposedly Dayak members and supporters of PH, through Facebook and other social media apps.
Cobbold also said that since PBDS Baru had always been subjected to all sorts of accusation from both Barisan Nasional and PH, such attacks in the social media came as no surprise at all
He said PBDS Baru would continue to uphold the Dayakism spirit as initiated by its predecessor the now- defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak ( PBDS).
Unlike the old PBDS, he said PBDS Baru is not funded by a towkay or a tycoon but is self- funded and selfinitiated by the Dayak community.
“Are we ( PBDS Baru) a racist party? We are a Dayak based party, and any Dayak either a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or any faith are welcomed to join us. This has nothing to do with race.
“The Dayaks have many unresolved issues and PBDS Baru is just a platform to voice them out,” he said.
On a related matter, PBDS Baru election director Rapelson Richard Hamit said the party is eyeing at least five seats namely Mas Gading, Puncak Borneo, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu and Selangau.
Both he and Cobbold said the party would only field Dayaks as candidates under its banner despite receiving requests from certain non- Dayaks to use the party’s logo for the election.
They suggested to the non-Dayak aspiring candidates to instead discuss with another local party, State Reform Party ( Star) to stand as candidate since Star is multiracial.