KUCHING, June 14 ― The spirit of democracy still reigns supreme in Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) despite party’s stand to not contest any of the top leadership posts in its upcoming triennial general meeting (TGM).
In stating this, vice-president Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the landslide victory secured by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the state election last year was regarded as the manifestation of the people’s acceptance of the leadership team in PBB ― the backbone party of the GPS.
As such, PBB members had called for the current leadership to be maintained, pointed out the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, who also holds the ministerial portfolio of Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development in the Sarawak Cabinet.
However, Abdul Karim also said in such a scenario, the spirit of democracy must still be upheld.
“Even then, democracy has got to be in place. I still have to fill in the (nomination) form, and since nobody else is filling in the forms (to challenge the top posts), we have won uncontested ― namely, the president, the deputy president, the senior vice-presidents and the vice-presidents,” he said when met after performing the symbolic handing-over ceremony for the upgraded tennis courts at SMK Tabuan Jaya here yesterday.
Last Saturday, PBB election officer Dato Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah announced that there would be no contest for the top posts during the party’s TGM, to take place here from June 17 to 19.
He said the nominations for the party’s election had closed and no candidate had been nominated to challenge these top posts.
Awang Bemee said for the 14 posts under the PBB Pesaka wing, they were all won without contest as 10 out of 24 nominations had been withdrawn.
“For the Bumiputera wing, there are 22 nominees vying for 16 posts,” he said. ― Borneo Post
