KUCHING, Nov 18 — There will be slight changes in the seating arrangement involving the three State Assemblymen from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) in next week’s sitting of the State Assembly due to its “show of support” to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the recent Jepak state seat by-election, Speaker Tan Sri Asfia Awang Nasar said today.
He said PSB and its supporters had openly backed and campaigned for GPS candidate Iskandar Turkee in the by-election.
“Therefore, there is a shift in the stand of PSB. As such, they do not see their role as an opposition anymore.
“However, I have not received any signal from the GPS leadership to justify the shifting of the seating arrangement of PBS state assemblymen,” he said.
“There will be slight changes here and there, though not sanctioned by the GPS leadership,” he said.
He said the PSB state assemblymen “may be together” with the GPS state assemblymen in the seating arrangement.
He said PSB president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh will no longer be the Opposition leader because PBS is no longer playing the role of an opposition party anymore after declaring its support to GPS as seen in the Jepak by-election.
The other two PSB state assemblymen are Baru Bian (Ba’Kelalan) and Johnical Rayong Ngipa (Engkili).
On Batu Lintang state assemblyman See Chee How, Asfia said See will remain as a GPS-friendly independent assembly.
With PSB shifting its support to GPS, the Sarawak State Assembly will have Chong Chieng Jen (Padungan) and Violet Yong (Pending), both from the DAP, in the opposition benches.
