KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) is gearing to contest 29 out 82 state seats in the next Sarawak state election, said party’s permanent chairman John Brian Anthony.
In an interview with The Vibes, he said the party aims to unite the indigenous communities of Sarawak, collectively known as the Dayak, and become a formidable representative of their collective voice.
However, the sole Dayak party in the state will face an uphill battle as they will face a multitude of other political outfits, including long-established components under the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“We will be facing PRS (Parti Rakyat Sarawak), we will be facing PBB (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu), as well as PDP (Progressive Democratic Party) president and SUPP (Sarawak United Peoples’ Party) who will also contest in Dayak (majority) seats,” he said.
Why do we do this? This way we will get uniformity, a single voice to speak up with, and see how best the community wants us to represent them and what sort of ideas we can introduce.
He said the move to contest in these constituencies is part of the party’s ongoing development.
In the process, its leaders will also gain more ideas on the needs of the people and how the party can better facilitate them.
The Dayak community consists of over 200 ethnic groups inhabiting parts of Borneo. Over two million are in Sarawak alone.
Anthony added that PBDS will also compete in three parliamentary seats – Julau, Kapit and Sibut – in the 15th general election (GE15).
There are 16 out of 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak that are considered a Dayak majority constituency, he stressed.
Asked about cooperating with other political parties, he said that PBDS will work at the local level with Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak, Parti Sedar Rakyat Sarawak, Parti Bumi Kenyalang and Parti Sarawak Bersatu.
“This is to leverage on each of our strengths and share resources,'” he said.
However, Anthony explained that they are also open to working with national-level parties such as Pakatan Harapan, GPS, and Perikatan Nasional, among others.
PBDS had contested 11 seats in the previous Sarawak state election but had lost all.
On paper, PBDS has had a new lease of life for the last two years, after it was previously deregistered on June 19, 2019 for failing to submit its annual returns for the years 2014 to 2017.
The party was reinstated in August 2020 following a successful appeal. – The Vibes, August 9, 2022
