BINTULU, Oct 15 — Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s (PBB) Bintulu zone today gave its full support to party president Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg to select the candidate for the Jepak state by-election scheduled to be held on November 4 this year.

They said party members from the zone will cooperate with the component parties of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to ensure a huge victory for the ruling coalition in the by-election, which was triggered by the demise of incumbent Datuk Talip Zulpilip on September 15.

This is one of the 11 resolutions passed by the Bintulu zone which held its special convention in conjunction with the 60 years of Sarawak Independence.

The Jepak state seat is traditionally allocated to PBB under a special arrangement among the component parties of the then Barisan Nasional and now GPS.

Bintulu zone, in another resolution, read out by PBB senior vice president Datuk Seri Stephen Rundie Utom, gave its support to the state government’s initiative to take over the Bintulu Port from the federal government.

Rundie said the proposed takeover is to integrate all the ports in the state under one authority in line with the rationalisation of the ports and their infrastructures for the future’s economic development.

He said the Bintulu zone also supports a resolution passed by the recent Betong zone’s special convention on the increase in the number of parliamentary seats from Sarawak and Sabah to one-third or 35 per cent of the total number of parliamentary seats in Malaysia.

He said this is in line with the aspiration of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.

He later handed over the set of 11 resolutions to Abang Johari, who is also Sarawak premier, witnessed by deputy president and deputy premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasa, senior vice president and deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and PBB secretary general and federal works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi and other party leaders.