Pack it in, Sarawak PKR tells state DAP

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has spoken out against the state DAP, telling its chief Chong Chieng Jen to rein in his members and stop them from making "incendiary and rash statements" about PKR. Baru, who had earlier refrained from responding to the attacks for fear that it could hurt the opposition coalition and start an endless war of tit-for-tat, said DAP's irrational remarks were "detrimental to the image of the opposition in the eyes of the public". Baru said he was also concerned the attacks by their Dayak and Malay leaders, whose seats were in dispute, might reflect negatively on Chong's role as the party's leader. The Ba Kelalan assemblyman said this after yesterday's attack by DAP Sarawak vice chairman Leon Donald, the party's pick for the Dayak-majority seat of Simanggang. Leon had said PKR was just being "malicious" in wanting all the Malay and Dayak seats. Leon contested the Simanggang seat in the 2011 election but was defeated by Barisan Nasional's Datuk Francis Harden Hollis. PKR had already named Norina Umoi Utot, whom Leon called a "part-time politician" who only made an appearance during election time. Baru said PKR was disappointed that DAP Dayak leaders in Betong and Sri Aman had seen fit to make unwarranted and peevish attacks on their members and leaders. "It is perhaps a sign of increasing panic among members of these branches in the lead-up to our seat negotiation meeting later in the week," Baru said. Negotiations are slated for Friday. "However, such attacks are counter-productive and only serve the opposition coalition on a platter as fodder to the BN parties." Baru said there were proper channels for members and aspiring candidates to make their cases and complaints. "DAP's aspiring candidates should get down to the serious business of gathering evidence of their desirability and superiority, if any, instead of wildly shooting off press statements." PKR in March last year resolved that the 49 seats they were allocated in the 2011 election would not be subjected to negotiation, and that they would contest in the all the seats, mostly Dayak and Malay, which DAP then showed no interest in. PKR said only the 11 new seats were negotiable. DAP was allocated 15 seats, all in urban Chinese majority constituencies, but their post-election Impian Sarawak drive to rural areas meant they needed some of the Dayak seats already allocated to PKR. – February 17, 2016.]]>