PRS Selangau incumbent MP challenges his president’s decision not to re-nominate him, claims it was not the party’s decision
Datuk Joseph Entulu
SIBU: Selangau incumbent MP Datuk Joseph Entulu asserts that he has the right to be re-nominated for the coming 14th general Eelection (GE14) being deputy president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
“I have the right to defend Selangau seat because I was duly elected in the most recent PRS triennial delegates conference (TDC). I did not win it by default or uncontested.
“I won it even though I was severely challenged. The fact that I am PRS deputy president also entitles me to the re-nomination to defend Selangau seat,” he said.
“Also, in GE13, I won with the highest majority among the PRS victors. Not only that, my general election results so far, has never decreased but instead has been increasing every time — this clearly points to the fact that I am the most winnable candidate for Selangau,” Entulu said yesterday in response to PRS president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing’s statement on The Borneo Post that both he (Entulu) and Lubok Antu incumbent Datuk William Nyalau had been informed of the party’s decision not to re-nominate them for the May 9 parliamentary election.
Masing had said that the party had reasons not to re-nominate the two, adding that Entulu, being a deputy president should know better.
The president had further pointed out that for Entulu to go on campaigning despite not being re-nominated was going against the party’s decision.
On Entulu’s stand that it is his right to defend his seat, Masing retorted; ‘What right? The seat is not his family heirloom.”
On this, Entulu, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said: “As for whatever reason the president said that I should not be re-nominated, that is his view.
“There was never any party decision but only his (Masing’s) decision that I should not be re-nominated.”
Entulu said it is prerogative of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to make the announcement of candidates.
“The final arbiter of any BN’s candidacy is the PM who, I am sure in the case of Sarawak, consults the Sarawak CM as state BN chairman. In their wisdom I put my complete trust.”
For the record, Entulu won uncontested in 2008’s parliamentary election.
After that, he was appointed as Deputy Minister for Rural and Regional Development.
In GE13, he retained the Selangau seat with 7,555 majority votes.
Entulu polled 12,040 votes, Joshua Jabeng from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with 3,891, and Datuk Sng Chee Hua from Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP) with 4,485 votes.
Subsequently, he was made a full minister – Minister in Prime Minister’s Department overseeing the Public Services Commission (PSC), Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning (Mampu) and Education Service Commission (ESC).