Soon Koh coy on talks about PSB to be dissolved at EDC next week
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh has declined to comment about speculations that his party will be dissolved during an extraordinary delegates conference (EDC) next week.
“It is going to be a closed door meeting. Nothing will be divulged until time is ripe,” he said when contacted yesterday.
There has been much speculation about the dissolution of PSB to enable its members to join Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), en masse.
It is learned that the EDC next Wednesday will be held in Sibu, and a notice has been sent to all PSB members to attend the conference.
PSB, formerly known as United People’s Party (UPP), is an off-shoot of another GPS component, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) led by Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is also Sarawak Deputy Premier.
UPP was formed following a leadership crisis in SUPP in 2014.
Fast-forward, PSB and PDP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on July 13 last year in Kuala Lumpur, as means to pursue their political collaboration.
PSB now holds three state seats: Bawang Assan through Wong, Ba Kelalan by Baru Bian who is PSB secretary-general, and Engkilili by Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa, its deputy president, after the 2021 state election.
It also won Batu Lintang after the 2021 state election via See Chee How, but See later quit the party to become an independent member of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).
PSB, however, failed to win any seat in the 2022 parliamentary elections.
At present, the PDP is holding five state seats – Dudong through Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing who is PDP president, Tasik Biru through Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, Krian through Friday Belik, Meluan through Roland Duat Jubin, and Marudi through Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil.