State polls: PSB open to working with other opposition parties
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) is willing to work together with like-minded opposition parties in Sarawak to face the next state election, said its president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh.
Such collaboration could help ‘win majority seats to form the next Sarawak Government and start implementing our shared vision for Sarawak’, he added.
“This would be the start of Sarawak having a real and effective voice in the next parliamentary election, and reclaiming our rightful place in the Federation (of Malaysia),” he said during a press conference at PSB headquarters here yesterday.
Asked if PSB would be helming the opposition bench in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), Wong said his party would need to discuss with Democratic
Action Party (DAP) Sarawak first.
“We have six state seats, DAP also has six. We can work things out when the time comes. We can discuss – see who can become the leader of opposition,” he said.
PSB secretary-general George Lo added that the party had not initiated any discussion with DAP yet.
“Like what the president (Wong) has said, we will discuss with the like-minded parties who share our vision.
“We can always sit down and talk, but at this point in time there has been no discussion, and we will cross the bridge when we get there,” he said.
Asked if this would mean that PSB would also work together with the current Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak leadership, Wong declined to comment further.
“You wait ‘lah’,” he responded. PSB now has six assemblymen after former PKR members, Baru Bian and See Chee How (Ba Kelalan and Batu Lintang assemblymen, respectively), joined the party.
The other four are Bawang Assan assemblyman Wong himself, Datuk Ranum Mina (Opar), Johnical Rayong (Engkilili) and Datuk Tiong Thai King (Dudong).
DAP Sarawak’s six assemblymen are its chairman Chong Chieng Jen (Kota Sentosa), Violet Yong (Pending), Wong King Wei (Padungan), Irene Chang (Bukit Assek), David Wong (Pelawan) and Chiew Chiu Sing (Tanjong Batu).
DAP Sarawak lost one seat after Dr Ting Tiong Choon was disqualified as Pujut assemblyman in February by DUN Sarawak on grounds that he held dualcitizenship, despite his argument that he had renounced his Australian citizenship before the 2016 state election.