Sarawak PKR rebuts claims of greed, echos PSB's goal to topple GPS

Sarawak PKR has rebutted claims that it was being greedy with regard to seat allocation in the upcoming Dec 18 state polls.

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 Abun Sui Anyit said many of those seats were in rural areas in which DAP neither has a presence nor interest to contest anyway.

He added that rural seats are particularly challenging to win, particularly 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.

"If Sarawak PKR does not contest in these seats, particularly in the rural ones, then we will be giving GPS a free pass akin to a walkover.

"Sarawak PKR has therefore taken the responsibility of contesting in a large number of seats in the past as a way of supporting Sarawak grassroots activities and local communities against the blatant corruption, injustice and excesses that have plagued Sarawak for far too long," he said.

However, Abun stressed that candidate selection in seats with overlapping claims between DAP and PKR must be based on a number of factors including a candidate's ability.

"In Sarawak, selecting a candidate with strong grassroots presence and support is vital. In seats that our coalition partners lost in the 2016 state election, a seat swap is reasonable if PKR is able to show they have a stronger candidate with a better chance of winning," he said.

Goal is to topple S'wak govt

In the last general election, PKR and DAP clashed in six seats, namely 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. Sarawak BN had since broken away from GPS.

Sarawak DAP had on Nov 26 announced their list for candidates in 18 out of the 26 seats it plans to contest in the S'wak 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.

Meanwhile, Abun also echoed PSB's goal of capturing the Sarawak government.

He said this in response to PSB, another Sarawak opposition group, chastising DAP for stating that Sarawak needed a strong opposition.

PSB president Wong Soon Koh said while DAP may be satisfied with remaining in the opposition, PSB's goal was to form the government.

Echoing this, Abun said like PSB, PKR's goal is also to topple the GPS government.

"Sarawak PKR takes note of Wong's proposal to take down the BN/GPS government. Sarawak PKR, too, has a similar idea to bring down the GPS government," he said. - Mkini