SARAWAK POLLS | Sarawak PKR will likely field fewer candidates during the upcoming state legislative assembly election than previously announced.
According to the Sarawak Pakatan Harapan deal in January, PKR was supposed to field 47 candidates. Malaysiakini has learnt that Sarawak PKR now intends to field around 20 candidates. There are 82 seats in the Sarawak legislative assembly.
When contacted, Sarawak PKR deputy chairperson Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh said the party was considering an option to field fewer candidates to increase the chances of an opposition candidate defeating the incumbent Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition.
He explained that this election was different from previous elections because there are more opposition parties this time around, some of which are formidable in certain constituencies.
"If there are a lot of candidates (for a given constituency), it will reduce the opposition's chances of winning," he said.
Asked if Sarawak PKR was involved in a pact with non-Sarawak Harapan parties, Abang Zulkifli replied in the negative.
"Our only pact is with Harapan," he said.
Other notable opposition parties that have announced candidates are Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK).
PSB is fielding six incumbent lawmakers, all veterans, and a mix of veterans and new faces. PBK is a relatively new party led by former lawmaker Voon Lee Shan and veteran activist Priscilla Lau.
Sarawak PKR's other deputy chairperson Dr Michael Teo, when contacted, said his party had decided to reduce the number of candidates "by a little bit" while adding that the situation will become clearer in the coming days.
Calibre and integrity
Sarawak PKR elections director Dominique Ng, when contacted, said his party was considering this option because they were "being realistic" but declined to comment further.
Sarawak PKR has not yet revealed its list of candidates unlike most other opposition parties. Abang Zulkifli and Teo said an announcement is expected very soon.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim will be touring Sibu, Miri, and Kuching tomorrow where he is expected to address party activists ahead of nomination day (Monday, Dec 6).
During the 2006, 2011, and 2016 Sarawak legislative assembly elections, PKR had fielded 25, 40, and 49 candidates respectively. Its best performances were during the 2011 and 2016 elections where the party won three seats respectively.
Sarawak PKR suffered a huge blow last year after all three of its assemblypersons defected - two to PSB and one to Bersatu - and brought many of their supporters with them. Currently, Sarawak PKR doesn't even have an official head.
Meanwhile, Abang Zulkifli said his party will be fielding candidates with calibre and integrity. The theme of Sarawak PKR's campaign is 'Kemakmuran bersama keadilan' (Prosperity through justice).
Sarawak PKR's main campaign platform will be equitable distribution of wealth, anti-corruption, stability, and the failures of the BN/GPS government.
"We urge Sarawakians to consider our offer of reforms and transformation," he said.
- Mkini
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