Parties wishing to establish branches in Sarawak are welcome to do so, says state tourism, arts, culture, youth and sports minister Abdul Karim Hamzah.

Nevertheless, he expressed surprise over the statement by Prime Minister and Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the party would spread its wings to Sarawak, because the Pakatan Harapan coalition was already present in state through DAP and PKR.

"The more the merrier.

“(Sarawak) is open to all, but whether Sarawakians will accept them or not, it is up to the party which is trying to spread its wings. I believe the people are politically mature enough," said the PBB vice-president, at a press conference on the Rainforest Fringe Festival in Kuching

Yesterday, Mahathir said the party was planning to spread its wings to Sarawak, but not Sabah as Parti Warisan Sabah, a Harapan ally, was already established there.

Meanwhile, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaya, Awang Azman Awang Pawi, said Dr Mahathir’s intention to bring Bersatu to Sarawak was more of a political decision for the relatively new party.

"Bersatu wants to spread its wings to Sarawak to expand its influence because in the last general election the party only won 13 seats (in Parliament)," he told Bernama.

There are 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, with Harapan component parties PKR and DAP winning six seats each in the last general election.

- Bernama