Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin tonight attended a dinner and briefing with Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) component party leaders on preparations for the 13th general election upon his arrival here for a three-day working visit to the state.     

Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president and BN deputy chairman, also held a closed-door meeting with the state BN leaders at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) headquarters in Jalan Bako, Kuching.     

Also present were Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also the state BN chairman and PBB president, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Peter Chin Fah Kui, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party president (SPDP) William Mawan Ikom and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Masing.     

Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan also attended the meeting.     

In Sarawak, the coming general election will only involve its 31 parliamentary seats and not the state seats as the state election was held on April 16, 2011 where BN won 29 seats, with PBB holding 14 of the seats, SUPP (five), SPDP (four) and PRS (six). The opposition has only two seats, Bandar Kuching and Sibu, through DAP.

Tomorrow, Muhyiddin will visit the family members of the late national warrior, Temenggong Kanang Langkau in Kampung Sungai Apong Baru, Kuching, before attending a gathering with the villagers at the village community hall.     

He is scheduled to then officially open a business square, Medan Niaga Satok, in Jalan Matang, Petra Jaya, a project by the federal government costing RM46.6 million and now administered by Fama.     

The deputy prime minister will also be meeting federal and state civil servants at a hotel, Kuching, before attending a casual gathering with youths at the Kuching Integrated Recreation Centre.     

At night, Muhyiddin will attend the 1Malaysia people's gathering at Siniawan old town in Bau, near Kuching.     

On Tuesday, Muhyiddin will have a walkabout and breakfast with local Chinese business and community leaders at RH Plaza, Jalan Stutong, here, before going to Sibu for a leader-meets-people session at Dewan Suarah, Sarikei.     

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, will attend a 1Malaysia Young Teachers' gathering at SMK Sacred Heart in Sibu before returning to Kuala Lumpur the same evening.     

‘Wait for PM’

Meanwhile PBB deputy president Amar Abang Johari Openg said the names of the 14 shortlisted candidates who will represent Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in the upcoming 13th general election will be announced by Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairperson Najib Razak.     

He said the prerogative to reveal whether the present MPs would defend their respective constituencies or be selected to contest other constituencies also lay with the BN chairperson.         

"I cannot confirm whether the incumbent MPs will look after their constituencies, for the confirmation just wait for the announcement from the prime minister," he told reporters after attending a PBB meeting with some of the 14 MPs, at the party's headquarters in Jalan Bako, Kuching today.     

The meeting which lasted for more than two hours was chaired by Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also the party's president.     

In the 2008 general election, PBB won all the 14 parliamentary constituencies it contested, which were Santubong, Petra Jaya, Kota Samarahan, Mambong, Batang Sadong, Batang Lupar, Betong, Tanjung Manis, Igan, Mukah, Kapit, Sibuti, Limbang and Lawas.     

- Bernama