Overlapping seats: Only a couple yet to be resolved, says Baru

0
Baru Bian

Baru Bian

KUCHING: PKR Sarawak chairman Baru Bian said the majority of the 40 seats that the party intended to contest in the 11th state election had been confirmed.

Baru, who is PKR’s candidate for Ba Kelalan, described the number of yet-to-be-resolved overlapping seats with the DAP as ‘one or two very negligible numbers’.

“It (number of seats) is irrelevant to me, at the moment. The most important thing is we have instructed our grassroots and potential candidates to work hard because what is important at the end of the day is ‘who are you on the ground and are we representing the aspirations of the people or not’,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

While PKR had announced they would be fielding candidates in 40 seats, DAP announced on Saturday they would be contesting in 29 seats. The overlapping seats between PKR and DAP are said to be Tasik Biru, Mambong, Simanggang, Bukit Semuja and Mulu.

On PKR’s list of candidates, Baru said the final list would most probably be announced before nomination day on April 25.

Asked to comment on his opponent—BN’s Willie Liau—in the polls, Baru said all Lun Bawangs were related to one another. But both he and Willie—who is Baru’s relative—understood it would just be a political fight.

“With BN being well organised and having very good machinery, I expect to have a very tough fight in Ba Kelalan.

“Not only that, knowing my position in the party and by reading a lot of comments and an article that stated that they (BN) will use whatever means to topple PKR in Ba Kelalan, I think it is a good reminder that I have to work very hard.”

Baru said he would not under estimate Willie’s winning chances, although the latter lost to him by 473 votes in the last state election in 2011.