MIRI – Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) grassroots members have slammed the party’s top leaders for starting to jostle for the top seat just hours after party president Tan Sri James Jemut Masing died yesterday.
Party number two Datuk Joseph Salang has publicly proclaimed himself as acting president by virtue of him being deputy president.
Secretary-general Datuk Janang Bungsu responded immediately by saying he will be convening a party leadership meeting to decide who is to be acting president.
Members today took to PRS social media platforms to slam the duo for starting the “fight” for the top post.
“Let him rest in peace!... Have some respect please, let the funeral be concluded first (scheduled for this Wednesday) before you start fighting!” said Mike Bob in a message on PRS’ Facebook page.
Another netizen, Nurmaya Afeig, also criticised the top PRS leaders. “Dia belum masuk kubur you sudah mahu jawatan president, baloi betul! (He is not even in the grave yet and you want his post already, really!)”
Jakob Salang, apparently a party member, said the correct thing to do is to respect the family of the late Masing.
Share in their grief, and after the funeral we hold a leadership meeting and discuss the next step forward for the party.
“Now is not the time to talk about who is the right person for the presidency,” he said.
Masing passed away at about 7am yesterday at the age of 72.
He was a Covid-19 Category 3 patient in Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching, and was hospitalised on September 28.
He was later discharged, but succumbed to heart complications.
Sarawak Public Communications Unit in its latest update yesterday said Masing died in Normah Specialist Hospital due to heart failure, and it was not directly due to Covid-19.
“It was due to heart complications that he suffered after he was infected by Covid-19,” the unit said.
Masing’s body was taken home yesterday and the funeral will be on Wednesday.
There were queries as to why his body was taken home if he was a Covid-19 patient.
The unit said Masing was no longer infectious at the time of his death even though he had earlier been a confirmed coronavirus patient. – The Vibes, November 1, 2021
