PARTI Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has acknowledged that this could be his last time leading the party, telling its older generation to prepare the way for younger leaders.
The 76-year-old Sarawak Premier said he could not fight the realities of age, although he remained young at heart.
“I’m 76 years old. In four more years, I’ll be 80. I want to be frank, this may be my last time.
“We cannot go against nature, even though our hearts may still feel young. But I will make the decision when the time comes,” he said.
Abang Johari was speaking while officiating the PBB Northern Zone Special Convention at Miri Indoor Stadium here today.
He said the responsibility of older leaders was to ensure that the party was ready for a smooth transition when the time came.
“We are already getting old, and it is time for us to give way to the younger generation to carry on the responsibility and the struggle,” he said.
Abang Johari also urged party members not to take leadership changes personally, saying no leader could remain in place forever.
“Sometimes we feel disappointed when we are replaced. But this is the law of nature. The old are eventually replaced by the young.
“Leaders come and go. There comes a time when we say thank you and allow new people to take our place,” he said.
What mattered, he added, was that the PBB struggle continued beyond individual leaders.
“The spirit of PBB must be carried on by those who love Sarawak.
“What I mean is that we cannot go against nature. But PBB will always be there because we have a system to ensure the continuity of PBB,” he said.
Abang Johari said grooming the next generation also meant preparing them to deal with Sarawak’s diverse society.
Future leaders, he said, needed to know how to communicate and work with people from different communities and religious backgrounds.
“The successors must be trained, trained in how to communicate with people, how to engage with different communities and how to interact with people of different religions, so that there will be no toxicity,” he said.
Abang Johari said he was grateful to have received guidance from leaders before him and believed the same responsibility now rested with the present generation.
He pointed out that PBB had already introduced younger faces, including during the previous election.
“Therefore, those of us who are older should give way to the younger generation,” he said. - September 13, 2026
