'They argue endlessly' - Fadillah takes swipe at Sarawak opposition
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chief whip Fadillah Yusof feels the latest war of words between DAP, PKR, and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) in Sarawak shows just how disunited the opposition parties are.
He said that the “political instability and incompetence” shown by these groups since the 2018 general election have had a negative effect on the country’s development.
“These people have no qualms about accepting...
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chief whip Fadillah Yusof feels the latest war of words between DAP, PKR, and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) in Sarawak shows just how disunited the opposition parties are.
He said that the “political instability and incompetence” shown by these groups since the 2018 general election have had a negative effect on the country’s development.
“These people have no qualms about accepting political frogs that keep jumping in and out endlessly.
“They argue endlessly about who gets what and how to share the spoils in their aim to take control of Sarawak," said Fadillah (above) who is also senior works minister.
This was after Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen snubbed PKR's bid to renegotiate the seat allocation and asked them to focus on winning the 47 seats allocated to them instead of trying to "grab more".
Sarawak PKR information chief Abun Sui Anyit countered by saying many of those seats are in rural areas which DAP neither has a presence in nor interest to contest anyway.
Lack of ambition
He added that rural seats are particularly challenging to win due to limited campaign logistics and resources as well as a lack of digital connectivity and voter education.
However, he said PKR was willing to contest them so that GPS does not get a walkover.
PSB president Wong Soon Koh also chided Chong over an apparent lack of ambition for saying that Sarawak needs a strong opposition instead of pushing itself as an alternative government.
Fadillah touted the achievements of the GPS ruling coalition with the opening of the toll-free Pan Borneo Highway after many decades in the pipeline.
He urged Sarawakians not to be disturbed by bickering and disunited groups who are incompetent and are only interested in grabbing power but have no clear plans for Sarawak.
In the last general election, PKR and DAP clashed in six seats - Batu Kitang, Mulu, Murum, Simanggang, Ngemah, and Mambong.
PKR garnered more votes than DAP in three of the six seats, while DAP edged out PKR in the remaining three.
However, their combined votes were still insufficient to beat the Sarawak BN candidates at the time. GPS has since broken away from Sarawak BN.
Sarawak DAP had on Nov 26 announced their list of candidates in 18 out of the 26 seats it plans to contest in the upcoming state polls.
They include the previously disputed Batu Kitang, Simanggang, and Mambong where DAP won more votes than PKR. It ceded Mulu, Murum, and Ngemah where PKR won more votes than DAP.
Sarawak PKR has been particularly hit by defections with MPs Baru Bian, Ali Biju, Willie Mongin, and Larry Sng all crossing the floor.
Polling day for the Sarawak elections is Dec 18, with early voting set for Dec 14. Nominations are on Dec 6.
