KUCHING, April 19 — Barring any last-minute compromise, there will be a straight fight for Parti Rakyat Sarawak’s (PRS) presidency between acting president Datuk Joseph Salang and vice-president Datuk John Sikie at the party’s triennial delegates’ meeting (TDM) in Sibu this week.
PRS information chief Christopher Gira said the two men’s names were the only ones submitted to the party headquarters when nominations for all posts closed on April 17.
“However, it is up to the party’s credentials committee to decide whether there should be a contest for the top post,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail today.
Gira, who is also Tamin state assemblyman, said the party’s supreme council had previously decided that the top post should not be contested, but “then another group led by Sikie had said that they wanted to contest”.
“That is why it is up to the credentials committee to decide if there should be a contest for the top post,” he said.
The president’s post was left vacant following the death of Tan Sri James Masing, then also the deputy Sarawak chief minister, of heart complications last year.
Since then, Salang, who is the incumbent deputy president and former Julau MP, took over as the acting president.
Sikie is also a minister in the Premier’s Department and Kakus state assemblyman.
Gira said the deputy president post will also see a straight fight between Salamaju state assemblyman and state Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Majang Renggie and Pelagus state assemblyman Wilson Nyabong.
He said the post of PRS Women will not be contested as only the name of incumbent chief Datuk Doris Brodie was received by the party headquarters.
He said state Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan, who is also Balai Ringin state assemblyman, will be seeking re-election as PRS Youth chief.
Gira said he was unable to confirm if Murum state assemblyman Chupkai Ugom would also be contesting the post.
Meanwhile, Nyabong, when contacted, confirmed that he is going to vie for the post of PRS deputy president.
He said he would be standing regardless of the credentials committee’s final list of candidates for all the party’s posts.
Nyabong said he had spent the past week meeting delegates to secure their support.
PRS will hold its TDM from April 21 to 24 in Sibu.