Baru Bian
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) has refuted the allegation that it had offered former federal minister Baru Bian, who is now an independent elected representative, a financial inducement to join the party.
Reacting to the claim in a Sarawak Report article, the PSB secretariat said in a statement today that the allegation that it had resorted to using money to get new members is false.
“This report is totally false as PSB has never offered Baru any reward, financial or otherwise, to join PSB.
“Such malicious falsehood is not only defamatory of PSB but it is also character assassination of Baru, a man with principles who would rather give up his post as Works Minister than to support or join an unelected government,” it said.
Although it did not name the Sarawak Report in the statement, the secretariat said no attempt was made to clarify the matter before the article was published.
Baru, who is the Selangau MP and Ba Kelalan assemblyman, had quit Parti Keadilan Rakyat, where it was its Sarawak chairman, during the political imbroglio resulting from the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister last month.
He was the Works Minister in Dr Mahathir’s cabinet. The Borneo Post is contacting Baru for comments.
PSB also said in the statement today that it believed that the article was triggered by fears over its growing popularity in the state.
“It is no doubt engineered by parties who are now frightened by the surge in popularity of PSB as a Sarawak-based multi-racial independent political party particularly since the ruling coalition in Sarawak GPS was instrumental in installing Umno and PAS in government in Putrajaya despite the fact that they lost the last general election.
“PSB is confident that the people of Sarawak are intelligent and politically mature enough not to fall for such malicious lies,” said the statement.
Following the resignation of Dr Mahathir and the collapse of his Pakatan Harapan government, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as prime minister reportedly with the support of, among others, GPS, Umno and PAS.