Dr Sim Kui Hian
KUCHING (Mar 4): Sarawak United People’s Party president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian has commended Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu vice president Dr Annuar Rapaee for making it clear that Bawang Assan is traditional SUPP’s to contest in the state election.
He said Dr Annuar’s remark on the matter earlier this week, showed the political rapport between PBB and SUPP in the ruling coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“Under GPS coalition’s cooperation and friendship spirit, it is best to let each member party contest in their traditional seats in the next election and to avoid any mistrust and split among each other. GPS should be united in fighting the opposition,” said Dr Sim in a statement.
“In fact, fighting for another component party’s traditional seat should not be a culture in GPS because it brings more harm than good to the coalition, but sadly such issues always re-surface near an election period. We should not allow such divisive culture to exist within GPS component parties,” he asserted.
Dr Sim maintained that SUPP would contest in the 20 state seats traditionally allocated to the party, adding that it would also contest in the seven parliamentary constituencies it had previously contested in.
The 20 state seats are Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Batu Kawah, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kitang, Opar, Mambong, Engkilili, Simanggang, Repok, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan, Tanjong Batu, Piasau, Pujut and Senadin.
The seven parliamentary seats are Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Serian, Sarikei, Sibu, Lanang and Miri.
Dr Sim said Dr Annuar is another strong leader, and like PBB deputy president Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemuit Masing they had shown respect to their GPS colleagues on this issue.
“Both Uggah and Masing have mentioned numerous times that PBB and PRS will assist SUPP to win back the Engkilili constituency,” said Dr Sim.
As such, he urged all GPS component parties “to not be the termites in the coalition by creating any split dispute among each other.”
Instead, he said they should cooperate together to face their mutual enemies.
“Unity and trust are the foundations of a strong and successful political coalition such as in GPS,” added Dr Sim.
On Monday, Dr Annuar told reporters in Sibu that it was “very unlikely” for PBB to contest in Bawang Assan in the state election, which is due this year.
“Bawang Assan is traditionally a SUPP seat. Even before Dato Sri (Wong Soon Koh) became a Parti Sarawak Bersatu member, it was always SUPP seat.
“So, for PBB to contest the seat is very unlikely at the moment because we in GPS always have power sharing and we respect each other.
“Therefore, anyone claiming to be confirmed PBB candidate to stand in Bawang Assan is completely untrue as far as I am concerned,” he told reporters in Sibu recently over speculations that PBB would vie for Bawang Assan in the polls.
Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who is currently Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president, won Bawang Assan under the ticket of SUPP in 1991.
The six-term Bawang Assan assemblyman and former state cabinet member quit SUPP in 2014 following a leadership tussle. Wong later formed United Peoples’ Party (UPP), which was rebranded as PSB in 2019.
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