All eyes on PSB, new party led by veteran politicians

 

KUCHING: The Sarawak election is seeing the emergence of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) as a formidable local Opposition outfit and all eyes will be on how many seats this new party can secure tomorrow.

Led by former state minister and veteran politician Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, PSB is contesting 70 out of the 82 seats as it aspires to topple the Gabungan Parti Sarawak-led (GPS) state government.

PSB will also be defending six seats it has in the Sarawak legislative assembly, of which four were won in the 2016 state election under the Barisan Nasional banner.

Wong, 79, is hoping that Bawang Assan constituents will retain him as their assemblyman – this is a seat he had served for six terms, even though he is now in the Opposition.

The constituency, located in Sibu, was created in 1991 and Wong has never lost an election there.

In 2016, he won in Bawang Assan for Barisan with a majority of 4,131 in a five-cornered fight, with Stanley Chiew of DAP his closest opponent.

This election, he is once again involved in a five-way contest.

In Engkilili and Opar, Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa and Datuk Ranum Mina will also be looking to defend the seats they have held for several terms under the Barisan banner.

Johnical has been the assemblyman for Engkilili – located in the Sri Aman division – since 2006 while the 70-year-old Ranum will be defending the Opar seat which he has won four times since the constituency’s creation 15 years ago.PSB will also be looking to defend the Dudong seat, where it has fielded first-timer Wong Hui Ping.

The Dudong contest will be an eight-cornered fight and GPS has fielded Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing to wrest it back.

In Batu Lintang and Ba’kelalan, See Chee How and Baru Bian will be defending the seats they won with PKR for two terms.

Political analyst Dr Jeniri Amir said PSB has emerged as one of the main contenders in the election.

“Despite being new, PSB is led by political veterans and is fielding quite a number of well-known faces.

“They have also been working on the ground in the last couple of years, compared to the other local Opposition parties, which have weak grassroots,” said the National Professors Council senior fellow.

Jeniri said he expected PSB to be able to retain Bawang Assan, Batu Lintang, Engkilili and Opar.

He also said the party was putting up a strong fight in rural Iban-majority seats like Balai Ringin, where it is fielding Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat, and Tamin where former assemblyman Datuk Joseph Entulu is in a straight fight with GPS incumbent Christopher Gira. - Star