The Barisan Nasional-friendly Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) is hopeful that its five state assemblypersons will be allowed to defend their seats in the next state election, which becomes due in June 2016.

Teras, a splinter of the BN component Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), has its assemblypersons in Pakan, Bekenu, Marudi, Tasik Biru and Batu Danau.

Its president, William Mawan, who holds the Pakan seat, said the party was also eyeing three other seats as well as one or two of the 11 new seats to be created under a proposed redileneation of electoral boundaries.

The Election Commission proposes to create 11 new seats to raise to 82 the number of state seats.

Bekenu, Marudi and Tasik Biru are held by assistant ministers.

Mawan told reporters at the party headquarters in Kuching today that he believed the five incumbent assemblypersons “are still very winnable candidates and we are ready any time”.

“We are, after all, always on the ground serving the people,” he said, when welcoming 30 of about 200 new members from Kabong in the Saratok district who decided to join Teras.

Nevertheless, he said, Teras would abide by the final decision made by the state BN leadership on the allocation of seats to avoid unnecessary tussle over seats.  

Mawan, who is Sarawak Minister of Social Development and the MP for Saratok, said there was no “extreme urgency” now for Teras, formed by him in May last year, to apply to join the BN.  

“We are still part of the government. Our position in the BN has been confirmed by both Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is the BN national chairperson, and at the state level by Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

“We are a state BN Plus party. For us, this means we are a full BN member in terms of our participation and contribution in the government, our commitment in serving the people.

“To our enemies and detractors, they will still regard us as half BN,” he said.

Mawan also said that the people should be discerning over the many posts they came across on social media.  

“There are people bent on making personal attacks against others due to political anger and dissatisfaction. There are the many insinuations and baseless allegations.

“These are now very rampant and all in the name of democracy. I believe the government will enact a new law to curb all these, probably at the next parliament sitting,” he added.

- Bernama