SIBU: The Sarawak election is expected to be called after the Gawai Dayak celebration, with political parties already stepping up early preparations in anticipation of the polls, says Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) vice-president Datuk Michael Tiang (pic).
Tiang, who is the Pelawan assemblyman, said the upcoming Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Convention scheduled for April 19 was seen as an early signal for all component parties to streamline their preparations for the state election.
He stressed that SUPP’s preparations must be carried out collectively with other GPS component parties, including Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
“Collaboration between GPS component parties is very important. All preparations must be done in an integrated manner," said Tiang, who is also Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government told reporters distributing mandarin oranges and angpau envelopes to visitors and hawkers at the Sibu Central Market on Sunday (Feb 8).
On internal matters among component parties, he said the GPS Convention would serve as the appropriate platform to address and resolve any differences without affecting the unity of the coalition.
“Any internal issues should be discussed and resolved within the GPS platform, not through the media,” he said.
He said SUPP was taking proactive steps ahead of the election, including identifying potential candidates to contest the additional 17 state assembly seats proposed for Sarawak.
“SUPP is identifying several new faces to be presented. If the 17 new state assembly seats are approved by Parliament, we need to prepare earlier,” he added.
Tiang said the identification of new candidates was an important early move to ensure the party is ready to field capable representatives who can serve the people and continue Sarawak’s development agenda.
“Any addition to the state seats requires careful planning, including preparing candidates who are able to represent the rakyat effectively,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tiang dismissed claims that Sarawak’s development efforts were driven by election considerations, stressing that the progress achieved was the result of long-term planning and continuous cooperation between the state government and the people.
“Development in Sarawak is not something done overnight. It is a long-term effort that has been planned and implemented in stages,” he said, adding that the state remains on track to achieve developed status by 2030.
