Bersatu to contest state polls under GPS ticket to avoid ‘confusion’

KUCHING: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will contest in the 12th Sarawak State Election under the ticket of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), said Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin.

The federal Housing and Local Government Minister said the party will mobilise its members in Sarawak to move on the ground with the Penggerak Komuniti Negara (PKN) members from all divisions to support GPS in the state polls.

“For PRN (state polls), we will contest under the GPS ticket so that Sarawakians will not be confused. No headache,” she told reporters after launching the PKN Sarawak office in Petra Jaya here yesterday.

Bersatu currently has one state assemblyman in Sarawak, namely Ali Biju who has held the Krian seat since 2011.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said during his recent visit to Sarawak that the party would leave it to GPS chairman, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Johari Tun Openg, to decide if Bersatu should field candidates in the coming state election.

The Bersatu president said it was important that GPS retain its support from Sarawakians to ensure it would continue to form the state government.

On PKN, Zuraida described it as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that supports the ruling government and will work together to combine both manpower and experience.

Meanwhile, when asked to comment on Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks about a leaked phone conversation allegedly of him with Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, she said it was not her problem.