Secretary-general: Sarawak Barisan Nasional to meet June 12

KUCHING: All component parties of Sarawak Barisan Nasional ( BN) will meet at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB) headquarters on June 12, says its secretary- general Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi.

Nanta, who is also Kapit MP, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg was calling on all supreme council members of Sarawak BN and also leaders of other parties friendly to the BN to the meeting.

The meeting will touch on the current political situation affecting the component parties in Sarawak.

Sarawak BN only won 19 out of 31 parliamentary seats in the just concluded general election resulting in the BN to garner only 79 seats out of 222 seats.

On May 16, Abang Johari said Sarawak BN was considering rebranding its status by forming a new alliance or coalition.

The decision to leave the BN fold would only be known after PBB has talked to the other registered BN components in Sarawak namely Parti Rakyat Sarawak ( PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party ( SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party ( PDP), Nanta said.

BN- friendly United People’s Party ( UPP) might be absorbed into the proposed alliance.

SUPP has decided to leave BN during its central working committee meeting on May 15 while PRS is still considering similar option. PDP so far has not made any stand.

If the new alliance materialises, the state election, which may be called by the first quarter of 2021 the latest, will see it contesting against Sarawak Pakatan Harapan which is made up of Democratic Action Party ( DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat ( PKR) and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

Another component – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia ( Bersatu) – has not set foot in Sarawak while Parti Islam SeMalaysia ( PAS) appeared to be independent.

Sarawak- based parties like Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras), State Reform Party (Star), Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru ( PBDSB), Parti Bumi Kenyalang ( PBK) and Sarawak Peace Party ( Peace) also appear to be independent.