KUCHING – Parti Aspirasi Sarawak will not contest in the 15th general election (GE15) after much “soul searching”, said president Lina Soo on nomination day.
“We went through a much agonising period of soul-searching to decide if the party would pit its candidates for the November 19 hustings.
“Although we had earlier announced our interest in Mas Gading, Puncak Borneo, Serian, Bandar Kuching and Stampin, we finally decided to stay out of GE15.”
There are 31 parliamentary seats up for grabs in Sarawak.
Soo said it is a collective decision of the party after consulting its members, supporters, and well-wishers, including going through the process of appointing research firms to undertake independent surveys to gauge grassroots sentiment.
According to her, there are many contributory factors leading to the party’s “shock decision” to sit out this general election, including Aspirasi not supporting the dissolution of Parliament to make way for GE15 during the monsoon season.
“In addition to the adverse weather forecast, Malaysia is still facing the Covid-19 health threat where a wave of new variants could occur at any time sparking a potential pandemic again.
“The second reason is the crowded field where too many parties are competing for the prize of a parliamentary seat. Sarawak is already so divided, and if Aspirasi enters the fray, it would split the votes, which will benefit certain parties only.
“Lastly, GE15 is a federal election to choose the federal government. Any endeavour to pursue Sarawak’s aspiration to be prosperous, powerful, and independent must first start from our own legislative assembly.”
“Two clear examples are the Petroleum Development Act and Territorial Sea Act, which must be rejected in the state assembly first before Sarawak can be excluded from these two unconstitutional acts specific to the state.”
Meanwhile, she said the party is urging the youth to take an active part in politics to choose the government they want for the future they want for Sarawak.
However, the party has yet to win any parliamentary or state seats as its candidates lost in all previous elections. – The Vibes, November 5, 2022
