KUCHING – Local political parties in the state are stepping-up to face the 15th general election, which is expected to be held this year.
The parliamentary election comes hot on the heels of the state election held on December 18 last year, which saw opposition parties thrashed by the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
During a press conference here today Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan told reporters that his party will be contesting the 31 parliamentary seats, which are up for grabs.
In the state election, PBK attempted to contest all 82 state seats but only managed to place candidates for a whopping 71 seats – which by local standards is considered an ambitious strategy. However, none of the party’s candidates secured a single seat.
“PBK is open to the idea of joining forces with other friendly Sarawak-based opposition parties. We will try to enter into a coalition, but if that fails, we will stride out to the polls alone.
“PBK, which is pushing for Sarawak’s independence will not collaborate with parties from Peninsular Malaysia such as Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah),” Voon said.
On another note, he said, PBK has already teamed up with home-grown parties in Sabah.
“This is to congeal a Borneo front to dispel other contending parties from Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak has 31 seats and Sabah has 25, and this will add up to 56 seats to make up the Borneo Front,” he added. – The Vibes, January 26, 2022
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