Wong (second right) speaking to reporters while (from left) Baru, former PKR Lubok Antu branch chairman Nicholas Bawin and See (right) look on.
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) is willing to work together with like-minded opposition parties in Sarawak to face the next state election, said its president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh.
“We will collaborate with like-minded opposition parties in the coming state election so that we can win the majority number of seats to form the next Sarawak government and start implementing our shared vision for Sarawak.
“This would be the start of Sarawak having a real and effective voice in the next Parliamentary election and reclaiming our rightful place in the Federation,” he said in a press conference at PSB headquarters here today.
Asked if PSB was going to helm the opposition bench in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), he said his party will need to discuss with Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) first.
“We have six state seats, DAP also has six. We can work things out when the time comes. We can discuss – see who can become the leader of opposition.
“We will decide when the time comes. We don’t know. At the moment we PSB are going to nominate candidates for nearly all seats,” said Wong.
PSB secretary general George Lo added that the party has not initiated any discussions with DAP yet on that issue.
“At this point in time there has been no discussion with any political parties, and like what the president (Wong) said, we will discuss with like-minded parties who share our vision.
“We can always sit down and talk, but at this point in time there has been no discussion, and we will cross that bridge when we get there,” he said.
Asked if this would mean that PSB would also work together with the current Sarawak PKR leadership, Wong declined to comment further.
“Just wait,” he said.
PSB now has six assemblymen after former PKR assemblymen Baru Bian (Ba Kelalan) and See Chee How (Batu Lintang) joined the party.
The other four are Bawang Assan assemblyman Wong himself, Datuk Ranum Mina (Opar), Johnical Rayong (Engkilili) and Datuk Tiong Thai King (Dudong).
DAP Sarawak’s six assemblymen are its chairman Chong Chieng Jen (Kota Sentosa), Violet Yong (Pending), Wong King Wei (Padungan), Irene Mary Chang (Bukit Assek), David Wong (Pelawan) and Chiew Chiu Sing (Tanjung Batu).
DAP Sarawak lost one seat after Dr Ting Tiong Choon was disqualified as Pujut assemblyman in February.
The Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) disqualified him on the grounds that he held dual citizenship, despite his argument that he had renounced his Australian citizenship, which he gained in 2010, just before the 2016 Sarawak state election.
Meanwhile, Baru said more PKR members will resign from the party and follow him to join PSB in the next few days.
“I can definitely say we have at least 80 to 90 per cent of the former state PKR leaders on our side. Exactly how many, I don’t have the numbers.
“It is more than 20 branches,” he said.