Three former BN MPs contesting under PSB in comeback bid

KUCHING: Attempting a comeback in politics, three former Barisan Nasional MPs – Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun and Datuk William Nyallau Badak – will be contesting under Parti Sarawak Baru (PSB), a local opposition party.Dr Tiki was a three-term Mas Gading MP after he won the 1999, 2004 and 2008 general elections.

He was appointed as the deputy rural and regional development minister under the former Barisan Nasional government when he won the 2004 general election.

However, Dr Tiki was not retained as a deputy minister after the 2008 polls despite winning the Mas Gading parliamentary seat.

In 2013, he was dropped as a Barisan candidate, and he contested the Mas Gading seat as an Independent candidate but lost.

Dr Tiki later joined PSB in 2020, and he will be contesting the Tasik Biru state seat in the 12th Sarawak polls.

He will be locked in a four-cornered battle with Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s Paul Shanon Kenbell Barin, DAP’s Granda Aing and Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, who is the Tasik Biru incumbent since the 2016 state polls.Meanwhile, Entulu’s foray into politics began when he was elected as the Selangau MP under Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) in 2004, where shortly after, he was appointed as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department under the former Barisan administration.

After PBDS was deregistered, Entulu joined Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and he was again re-elected unopposed as Selangau MP in the 2008 general election.

Shortly after the 2008 polls, he was appointed as deputy rural and regional development minister.

Entulu continued his third term as the Selangau MP after winning again in the 2013 general election and he was subsequently appointed as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

However, in the 2018 general election, PRS dropped him in favour of a new candidate, and the Selangau seat was then won by Baru Bian who later left PKR to join PSB.

Entulu will contest the Tamin state seat in the coming state election. He will be locked in a four-cornered fight with PBK’s Usup Ak Asun, Independent John Linang Mereejon and GPS’ Malcolm Mussen Lamoh, the three-term incumbent assemblymen.

Meanwhile, Nyallau joined politics in 2008 after he was elected as the Lubok Antu MP, where he continued to serve for two terms after winning again in the 2013 polls.

In April 2018, Nyallau was part of the group of leaders, including Entulu, whom PRS sacked for refusing to abide by the party’s decision not to contest in the general election.

In March 2019, Entulu and Nyallau were part of the group of local leaders who officially joined PSB.

PSB will be contesting 70 state seats in the Sarawak election.