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.
Deputy Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Michael Tiang 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 said the Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) 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,” Tiang told reporters after distributing mandarin oranges and ang pau to visitors and hawkers at the Sibu Central Market yesterday.
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.”
Tiang, who is SUPP vice-president, said the party was taking proactive steps ahead of the election, including identifying potential candidates to contest the additional 17 state seats proposed for Sarawak.
Tiang said the choice of new candidates was an important early move to ensure the party was ready to field capable representatives who could 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.
He said 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 remained on track to achieve developed status by 2030.
