Last-minute pullout forestalls split in PBB Youth

comments     Tony Thien     Published     Updated

A last-minute deal has averted what could possibly be a serious split within the youth wing of the ruling Parti Pesaka-Bumiputra Bersatu Sarawak (PBB) with the withdrawal of a strong candidate, youth vice-president Ibrahim Baki, from contesting the post of youth deputy head.

Nominations for the July 6 PBB Youth elections closed today.

Ibrahim, a lawyer-businessman and a senior PBB Youth leader, has had the backing of a majority of the 62 PBB Youth divisions throughout Sarawak to contest the No 2 post in the wing.

If he had not bowed down to the wishes of the party top leadership during the weekend, he would be almost certain to take on Abdul Karim Abdul Rahman Hamzah, a newly-elected state assemblyperson for Asajaya and political secretary to the chief minister.

Abdul Karim, also a lawyer, is seen as a highly ambitious young party leader and said to be closely aligned to PBB senior vice-president and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries Adenan Satem and PBB treasurer, Youth deputy leader and Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.

He has been seen campaigning hard all over Sarawak over the last two months.

But Ibrahim, who gave way twice in the past to Awang Tengah for the Youth deputy post, is said this time to have received nominations from more than 30 of the 62 Youth divisions throughout the state, and would have been assured of victory had he agreed to put his name forward for the No 2 post.

A Ibrahim victory would be embarrassing to Abdul Karim's backers, who in spite of the odds, had till the last minute even tried to call up heads of nearly 50 Youth divisions for a meeting to try and win them over.

Meeting cut short

The meeting, called by the Ministry of Land and Rural Development, was described as a leadership course covering three days last weekend in Betong, the home town of PBB deputy president and Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang.

Malaysiakini was told that only 13 out of the 49 Youth heads invited turned up at the meeting. Jabu, Betong member of parliament Douglas Uggah and Abdul Karim attended the opening ceremony.

The meeting was later shortened to one day, presumably after news was received of a last-minute deal in which Ibrahim had heeded the advice of certain top leaders, including PBB deputy president and Minister of Tourism Johari Tun Openg, to withdraw to allow Abdul Karim to be returned unopposed as PBB Youth deputy head replacing Awang Tengah, who had to step down because he is over the stipulated age limit.

Malaysiakini understands that Johari, seen to be Ibrahim's mentor, had a meeting with PBB president and Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, who had expressed concern that a contest for the Youth deputy president post could have some adverse long-term consequences on the party, with two factions emerging within the Youth wing.

On Johari's advice, Ibrahim agreed to stand down and issued a press statement in which he apologised to the many Youth divisions who had nominated him, saying that circumstances required him to subordinate personal interests to party interests.

Ibrahim also telephoned Abdul Karim to inform him of his decision not to put his name forward as a candidate for the No 2 spot.

News of Ibrahim's withdrawal infuriated some of his supporters who had been working hard over the past weeks to garner more than enough backing for his candidacy.

Later, they tried to persuade another Youth exco member Abang Omar Abang Ali, a businessman, who polled the second highest votes in the last party elections, to be an alternate candidate.

Abang Omar told malaysiakini today that after consulting some senior party leaders he had finally decided against putting his name forward. "We will see how the new Youth leaders work within the next one or two years," he added.

It is learnt that as part of the deal, Ibrahim will be given a seat in the PBB supreme council and will be considered as a candidate for a parliamentary seat.

New secretary-general

Meanwhile, Youth chief Gramong Juna will be stepping down to give way to Betong MP and federal Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Douglas Uggah, who was recently made head of PBB Kakus division.

Gramong, an assistant minister and considered a senior PBB leader, is likely to be appointed PBB secretary-general, replacing fellow Iban Leonard Linggi Jugah, who resigned in April both as PBB secretary-general and Sarawak Barisan Nasional secretary-general.

It is not known whether Gramong will also be appointed the state's BN secretary-general. There has been speculation, however, that this post may go to another member of the ruling coalition, the Sarawak United People's Party.

Taib is expected to announce the appointment of the PBB secretary-general either during or immediately after the party convention from July 5-9 in Kuching.

This means the party is still adhering to the tradition since the merger of Parti Pesaka and Parti Bumiputra in the 1970s when the parties' respective leaders, the late Tun Jugah Barieng became PBB's first president and Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub became secretary-general.

Linggi Jugah, son of Tun Jugah, took over as the party's secretary-general 26 years ago when Rahman Yakub, then Sarawak's chief minister, became the party president succeeding his father.

Meanwhile, malaysiakini understands there is expected to be a keen contest for all 15 Youth exco posts — eight Bumiputra (Malaya/Melanau) wing and seven Pesaka (Iban/Bidayuh/Orang Ulu) wing.

One Youth exco leader told malaysiakini that he does not expect the youth leadership to try and block nominations for the election of the wing's exco members.

"This could turn out to be some form of a proxy fight, and the results will be keenly watched unless there are last-minute withdrawals," he added.



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