Abdul Karim sees Sarawak Baru as old wine in new bottle

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Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

SIBU: Parties that formed Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) have good track record of managing and developing Sarawak to what it is today, says Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He said this yesterday when commenting on Sarawak Baru pro tem chairman Cobbold John’s press statement claiming that he was confident the coalition of Sarawak Baru would pose a strong challenge to GPS, Pakatan Harapan Sarawak and/or Barisan Nasional in the next state election.

Abdul Karim remarked: “I won’t want to sound arrogant but the parties that formed GPS have a good track record of managing and developing Sarawak to what it is today.

“The parties that formed Sarawak Baru are also very much known to all Sarawakians.

“They have participated in many elections and many have lost heavily and losing their deposits. Sarawak Baru is just a new set of uniform they are changing. Nothing much has changed.”

Abdul Karim, who is PBB vice-president, said: “Malaysians or rather Sarawakians are getting more politically conscious and able to see who and which party or parties are capable, honest and reliable and should be given their votes. This is the beauty of democracy. The power to choose rests on the people.”

Meanwhile, the four-component Sarawak Baru coalition had set up its presidential council.

Cobbold, who is also Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) president, said the protem vice chairmen are State Reform Party Sarawak (STAR) president Lina Soo, Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak or Teras secretary-general Banyi Beriak, and Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) president Munan Laja.

He named PBDSB Youth secretary Julius Enchana as Sarawak Baru’s protem secretary-general and STAR treasurer Chieng Lee Ping as the protem treasurer-general.

Sarawak Baru has also agreed that each of the four parties undertake tasks they are very familiar with or specialised in.