DAP rockets PSB's Sibu ambition, multi-cornered fights expected
Negotiations between Sarawak’s main opposition parties hit a brick wall from the onset because of the Sibu parliamentary seat, and with both Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and DAP appearing adamant, multi-cornered fights might be unavoidable.
PSB president Wong Soon Koh confirmed with Malaysiakini that his party is eyeing the seat, whose two-term incumbent Oscar Ling is from DAP.
Negotiations between Sarawak’s main opposition parties hit a brick wall from the onset because of the Sibu parliamentary seat, and with both Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and DAP appearing adamant, multi-cornered fights might be unavoidable.
PSB president Wong Soon Koh confirmed with Malaysiakini that his party is eyeing the seat, whose two-term incumbent Oscar Ling is from DAP.
He claimed that PSB has a stronger influence in terms of grassroots in Sibu than DAP and regretted that the latter is unwilling to compromise.
According to Wong (above, right), DAP captured several urban Chinese-majority seats like Sibu because of the anti-Najib Abdul Razak sentiment during the last general election.
“Can’t we contest in one urban Chinese-majority seat? We represent the Chinese community as well although we are a multiracial party.
“We are willing to give up Sarikei and Bintulu, we only asked for Sibu because we are confident of winning,” he said.
DAP has six parliamentary seats in Sarawak - Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Mas Gading, Sibu, Lanang and Sarikei. Apart from Mas Gading, the rest are urban Chinese-majority seats.
There are three state seats under Sibu, which are Pelawan, Bawang Assan and Nangka.
Wong, who clinched the Bawang Assan seat for the sixth term in last November’s state polls, said PSB has between 2,000 and 5,000 members in each constituency under Sibu.
On the other hand, he claimed DAP has no organised grassroots in these areas.
“DAP uses current issues to stir up voter sentiment, mega ceramah is also another platform for them to draw support. But the situation is different now, their tactics won’t work,” he added.
With both parties unable to reach an agreement on Sibu in their last two meetings, Wong said PSB might be forced to engage in multi-cornered contests with DAP and the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
"This will only benefit GPS, but DAP never learns this lesson. I am very disappointed,” he added.
Wong to contest in Sibu?
Being one of the most senior politicians in Sibu, Wong did not rule out contesting the Sibu seat in the general election but at the same time, stressed the importance of fielding new faces.
"We will assess and decide when the time comes. We hope we can bring more new leaders to serve the people," he said.
PSB secretary-general George Lo also believes that his party stands a better chance of winning Sibu since DAP did not win any of the three state seats under the parliamentary constituency.
“We are focusing on winnability, it is about who can win the seat rather than ‘this is my seat, so we can’t negotiate’,” he told Malaysiakini.
He also conceded that the PSB president could contest the seat since the latter is the Bawang Assan assemblyperson.
“There is certainly a possibility,” he replied when asked if Wong would be the candidate.
“But this is something that we need to discuss further. If we have a stronger candidate, we may pick that person instead,” he added.
Meanwhile, Wong said PSB is also in talks with the other four opposition parties in Sarawak - Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), Aspirasi, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) and Sedar - to avoid multi-cornered fights.
Sarawak has 31 parliamentary seats, of which GPS controls 19. Four more seats are held by pro-government MPs.
PSB gained a Parliament seat when former PKR man Baru Bian, the MP for Selangau, joined the party three months after the Sheraton Move which toppled the Pakatan Harapan federal government in 2020.
At the time, three MPs in Sarawak quit PKR, leaving Miri MP Teo Yu Keng as the party’s sole representative.
DAP: Our stand is clear
Refusing to budge, Sarawak DAP secretary Alan Ling told Malaysiakini that working together with PSB hinged on whether Wong would change his mind about Sibu.
“Sibu MP Oscar Ling won twice in the 2013 and 2018 general elections. For DAP to give up the seat is unjustifiable.
“Besides, PSB has not yet revealed who is their potential candidate, how can it be convincing? How can we talk about it?” asked Ling.
"Our stand is clear, we will keep the parliamentary seats in which we are the incumbents so that we can stand in a better position to fight with GPS. This is our focal point," he stressed.
Ling said Sarawak DAP aims to contest at least nine seats in the coming national polls, which is the same as in 2018.
He also believes that the seat distribution among Harapan component parties would be a smooth process.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.