Dr Jayum Jawan Empaling
KUCHING (Feb 1): Neither Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak nor Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) has what it takes to take over the Sarawak government in the next state election, said political analyst Prof Dr Jayum Jawan Empaling today.
The Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Human Ecology Faculty deputy dean opined that it did not matter whether PH and PSB would be working together or against each other in the polls as they stood very little chance of defeating Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“Both parties are ambitious. Both parties think they are very formidable. However, it is my opinion that both parties do not yet have what it takes to win the next Sarawak state election.
“So, regardless of whether they go against each other or compromise and work together, they would not be helming Sarawak after the state election,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post .
He was asked to comment on state PH chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s seat distribution proposal on Sunday between the coalition and PSB.
According to Jayum, DAP was pretty much a Chinese-based political party and has its heart on the Chinese constituents.
“There is no difference whether it is DAP Sarawak or national DAP, the agenda is similar,” he said.
To a question, he said he believed that the DAP would continue receiving support from the Chinese voters in Sarawak but he felt GPS member, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), could pick up a few more seats in the next state polls.
He said this was because the DAP had not been able to deliver its election pledges when it was part of the government at the federal level.
Jayum also described PSB as “another version of a Chinese-based and Chinese-led party”, claiming further that the party was formed to resurrect the declining political careers of some of its top leaders.
When it was put to him that PSB had said that it is a local-based political party for all races, Jayum said: “Yes, anybody can make such a claim.”
On Sunday, Chong proposed the ‘3+3+3+1’ formula for PH’s collaboration with PSB, in that PH’s DAP and PKR, and PSB will each contest in 30 per cent of Sarawak’s 82 state seats and the remaining 10 per cent will be contested by Parti Amanah Negara, which is also a PH party.
PSB, however, insisted that it would contest in all the seats, with the ultimate goal of replacing the GPS as the next Sarawak government.
GPS currently holds 68 of the 82 seats in Sarawak, while PSB has six seats and DAP has five.
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