Samalaju belongs to PRS, Masing tells SPDP

Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing has reacted angrily to Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party's (SPDP) continued insistence to contest in the newly gazetted seat of Samalaju allocated to PRS by Barisan Nasional (BN), in the coming state election. "Samalaju is PRS's, period," Masing said last night. "It has been allocated to us by the BN chairman at state level (Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem) and the prime minister had been duly informed of such decision four weeks ago," said the Sarawak land development minister. He said this in response to SPDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing's announcement yesterday at the party's Supreme Council meeting that it would contest in 10 seats, including Samalaju. The allocation decision Masing was referring to was when he and his pick of candidates for the election, including the nominee for Samalaju, paid a courtesy call to Adenan on January 5 to submit his candidacy list. Masing said the list was endorsed by Adenan and the PRS nominated candidates were introduced on the same day to the chief minister. PRS will contest in all the nine seats it was allocated in the 2011 election – Baleh, Pelagus, Belaga, Tamin, Kakus, Ngemah, Batang Ai, Bukit Begunan and Balai Ringin. SPDP, without any assemblymen as of end of 2014, as all had defected to a splinter party, was also staking a claim on the new seat of Mulu – a seat the state BN lead party, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), reportedly had allocated to itself. "PM didn't question it. Why should SPDP?" Masing said of Adenan's decision on Samalaju. In a sign that the relationship PRS had forged with SPDP and the other troubled BN component party, the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), in their so-called "merger of minds", is cracking up, Masing told Tiong: "Don't pick a fight with friends." "When SPDP and SUPP were in trouble last year, PRS came to help, thus merger of minds was created, and the slogan of 'U touch one, U touch all' was used. "So don't touch or create problem for friends who came to assist when friends are in trouble. "Apart from their eight traditional seats which they can claim from Teras (the splinter party), there are other new and unclaimed seats which SPDP can go for. "Go for these seats," Masing said. Samalaju, together with the state seats of Jepak, Tanjong Batu and Kemena make up Tiong's parliamentary seat of Bintulu. The Malay-majority seat of Jepak and the Dayak-majority seat of Kemena are held by PBB while Tanjung Baru is held by the DAP. Tiong in his statement yesterday said SPDP would field Datuk Pau Chiong Ung in Samalaju while it was either senior vice-president Dr Roland Dom Mattu or Youth chief Robert Ayu for the Mulu seat. He said the Supreme Council was unanimous in its decision to contest the Samalaju and Mulu seats. Dr Roland, a gynaecologist, and Ayu, a lawyer, are both Kelabits and are councillors in the Miri City Council. Tiong did not name the candidates the party has picked for the remaining eight seats traditionally allocated to SPDP – Tasik Biru, Pakan, Krian, Meluan, Berkenu, Batu Danau, Ba'kelalan and Marudi - but which are now being disputed by the pro-BN Teras. He said the names have been submitted to Adenan. – February 21, 2016.]]>