SARATOK, Dec 10 — Datuk Ali Biju today said he hopes that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will make way for him to defend his Saratok parliamentary constituency in the 15th general election in exchange for his decision to withdraw from the Krian race in the state election.
“This is something that we will request because withdrawing from the election in Krian was a big sacrifice for me,” he told reporters after attending a closed-door meeting here.
The meeting was also attended by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
“We sacrificed Krian. We have discussed it and we hope that I can run in Saratok,” Ali said.
He said the discussion on whether he should defend Saratok in the next general election was held at the highest level between Bersatu and GPS leadership.
“I cannot disclose the details, but there was a discussion regarding the Saratok seat,” he said.
Ali also said that he had sought the advice of Bersatu leadership before submitting his nomination papers on Nomination Day on December 6 to defend his Krian seat.
“They (the leadership) advised me not to stand in the state election, but due to strong grassroots demand that I should contest as an Independent, I went to the nomination centre,” he said.
He said after announcing his withdrawal from the contest, he would go to the ground to tell his supporters to support GPS candidate Friday Belik.
“I will tell them not to vote for me, but for the GPS candidate,” he said.
Yesterday, Ali announced that he had pulled himself out of the running in Krian after listening to the views of community leaders.
Ali won Krian as an Independent in the 2011 state election, and on a PKR ticket in the 2016 state election.
