Abang Jo to decide on GPS line-up

Strategic talks: Abang Johari (front row, left) chairing the PBB supreme council meeting at the party headquarters in Kuching. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star

KUCHING: Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg will have the final say on Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and Gabungan Parti Sara­wak (GPS) candidates for the coming state election.

According to PBB deputy president Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, both the party and coalition have given the mandate to the caretaker Premier to decide on the candidates.

Abang Johari is PBB president and GPS chairman.

“We’re giving full mandate to our president on the candidacy.

“For GPS, we have also agreed (Abang Johari) to make the final decision,” Uggah told reporters after a PBB supreme council meeting yesterday.

GPS comprises PBB, Sarawak United People’s Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and Progressive Demo­cra­tic Party.

The coalition will contest all 82 seats in the coming polls.

Uggah, who is also GPS election director, said the meeting did not discuss potential candidates or PBB incumbents switching seats.

He said the supreme council was briefed on preparations by the GPS election operations committee, including the appointment of subcommittees overseeing matters such as the manifesto, intelligence, logistics, finance and security.

“The manifesto is being drafted,” he said, declining to provide more details.

Uggah also said the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) will brief the Election Commission (EC) on the weather forecast for the coming polls as it will coincide with the Northeast Monsoon. He said the briefing will take place after the EC announces the nomination and polling dates.

“SDMC is monitoring the situation. We have been informed that the Northeast Monsoon has started and will last until March.

“Once we know the nomination and polling dates, we will get the state Meteorological Department to brief them on the situation.

“As some areas are really remote, they may have to use helicopters,” he said.

The EC will meet tomorrow to decide the election date.

PBB secretary-general Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the party’s preparations were rea­ching an advanced stage.

“Facing an election is nothing new to us. What we’ve done is to formally set up an operations committee,” he said.

Asked if PBB will defend all 47 seats it won in the 2021 election, Nanta said he would leave it to Abang Johari for the announcement.