Gabungan Parti Sarawak flags are pictured in Kuching December 11, 2021. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
KUCHING, Feb 10 — Any candidate can contest in the Puncak Borneo seat in the next parliamentary election (GE15) as long as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) wins the seat, said Persaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice chairman Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
He added that although there was consensus that the seat belongs to PBB, the GPS top leadership will still have the final say as to who will contest in the seat.
He was responding to reporters today when asked to comment on a recent statement by PBB Mambong chief Datuk Dr Jerip Susil that the Puncak Borneo parliamentary seat belongs to PBB and the party would hold firm on the issue.
“Dr Jerip has his own opinion on the matter and I leave it to him but at the end of the day, the top leadership will decide. We are only interested in seeing GPS wins the seat,” he added.
He, however, hoped that other parties, particularly Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) which is the party of Puncak Borneo incumbent Datuk Willie Mongin, would stick to the mutual understanding between GPS and Bersatu that the seat belongs to PBB.
Should Bersatu ignore the understanding, he said PBB would do anything to ensure the GPS win the seat in the next general election and that includes fighting with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) for the seat if they have to.
“Initially there was an understanding that Bersatu will not put candidates to go against any GPS candidate and they must remember that. If they ignore that then we will fight them,” he said.
When asked whether Willie, who is also Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister, should step aside and let a GPS candidate contest in the parliamentary seat, Dr Rundi said he will leave the matter to Willie and the top leadership of GPS.
Dr Rundi was at the Permanent Food Production Park (TKPM) in Rampangi for a working visit today with Assistant Ministers for Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail and Martin Ben.
On Monday, during an event at Kampung Petag in Padawan, Dr Jerip told reporters that the Puncak Borneo parliamentary seat belongs to PBB.
“The Puncak Borneo seat has always belonged to PBB and this is a principle that we have agreed upon among the parties in GPS; there is no compromise on this issue,” he had said.
When asked if Willie should apply to join GPS, Dr Jerip declined to comment but said it is up to party leaders at state and federal level to sort out the matter.
During the 2018 parliamentary election, Willie won the seat under Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) ticket.
He garnered 18,865 votes for a majority of 4,005 votes to defeat Barisan Nasional’s Jeannoth Sinel (14,860 votes) and then State Reform Party’s (STAR) Buln Patrick Ribos (795 votes).
However, in 2020, Willie left PKR for Bersatu.
In the last state election, Willie helped campaign for the GPS candidates in Serembu, Mambong, and Tarat, which come under the Puncak Borneo parliamentary constituency.
Willie had claimed then that his support for GPS was to ensure political stability in Sarawak and had called for GPS to provide similar cooperation when he defends the seat in the next general election. — Borneo Post