Bobby William speaks during the National Jawi Congress in Petaling Jaya December 29, 2019. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
KUCHING, Nov 11 — Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) is in the process of naming the remaining 26 candidates and seats that it will contest in the state election, its president Bobby William said today.
He said the party named the candidates for 12 seats earlier this year in anticipation of the State Assembly’s dissolution before its five-year term expired on June 6. The date of the state election has yet to be announced at the time of writing.
Bobby said the confirmed seats include Katibas, Bukit Goram, Tanjung Datu, Gedong, Opar, Senadin, Batu Danau, Bukit Begunan and Pelagus.
He said he will be contesting Senadin, while the other confirmed candidates include professionals, former police officers and former teachers.
“I will be in Kapit next week to make more announcements of candidates and the seats they will contest, from time to time,” he said when asked by Malay Mail.
“In total, we are eyeing 38 seats,” he said.
He said PBDS is an underdog party and most of its candidates will be self-financed.
He also said most of the Dayak leaders who recently resigned from Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) are among the potential candidates running on the PBDS ticket.
He added that he hopes more Dayak leaders will support the party.
“We are fielding Dayak candidates in the election as it is a Dayak party, unlike before when it was deregistered in 2004 after it fielded non-Dayaks as election candidates.
“We are not reporting to any outside party from Malaya, but to the Dayak community,” he said.
On the collaboration with Parti Aspirasi Sarawak (Aspirasi), Bobby said Aspirasi has agreed to contest seats for which PBDS will not put any candidates, mostly in the urban seats.