Abang Johari: PBB preparing next generation of leaders

MIRI: Premier and Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has acknowledged that leadership transition is inevitable, saying the party is already preparing younger members to take on greater responsibilities.

Speaking to reporters after officiating at the PBB Northern Zone Special Convention at Miri Indoor Stadium on Sunday (Sept 13) today, Abang Johari said PBB had a system in place to train potential successors and ensure continuity within the party.

He said the party’s preparation was not limited to a single individual, with younger leaders and new members being groomed to eventually take on leadership roles.

“Naturally, you cannot go against nature,” he said, when asked about the prospect of leadership transition.

Abang Johari said PBB had already been developing its younger generation and would continue to identify and train new leaders.

“For every group, whether they are young people or new members, we have people being trained,” he said, adding that each area should have one or two potential successors ready to step forward.

His comments come as PBB prepares for the next generation of leadership while maintaining continuity in its political and development agenda for Sarawak.

Abang Johari, 76, has served as Sarawak Premier since January 2017 and has been president of PBB since taking over the leadership of the party that year.

The issue of leadership renewal has increasingly featured in Abang Johari’s public remarks. In April, he said PBB would continue creating space for younger candidates to lead, stressing that youthful energy and ideas should be balanced with the experience and wisdom of senior leaders.

At Sunday’s convention, he again stressed the importance of preparing younger Sarawakians to eventually take over from the present generation.

He said leaders must be willing to train their successors and accept that political leadership, like everything else, would eventually undergo change.
“There comes a time when we have to let go,” he said, while stressing that the struggle for Sarawak must continue regardless of who occupies leadership positions.

The remarks are significant as PBB and its Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) partners strengthen their preparations ahead of the next state election. The Northern Zone convention brought together about 3,800 delegates from 18 PBB branches across northern Sarawak.

Abang Johari said the objective was not simply to replace existing leaders, but to ensure that the party had a capable pipeline of younger leaders who understood Sarawak’s development agenda.

He said the younger generation would have to carry forward the state’s transformation in areas including technology, education, energy and economic development.