Asfia: No shifting of seats for PSB reps in coming DUN sitting

KUCHING (Nov 18): Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar has confirmed that there would be no rearrangement of seats within the august House for Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) elected representatives during the DUN sitting which will be on Nov 10-29.

Despite a notable shift in PSB’s position observed during the recently-concluded by-election in Jepak where the party openly supported Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate Iskandar Turkee, he said he had not received the signal from the coalition leaders on the seating arrangements.

“PSB has shifted its stance. In the last by-election in Jepak, PSB and their supporters openly backed the GPS candidate. As such, they do not see themselves as playing the role of Opposition anymore.

“However, I received no signal from the GPS leaders to justify me to shift the seating arrangement of PSB. There will be slight changes here and there, but not unless it is sanctioned by GPS,” he told a press conference after chairing a pre-DUN council meeting at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters here today.

“They (Progressive Democratic Party (PDP)-PSB) may be getting together, but this is not sanctioned by the leaders in GPS, and I received no signal… No signal was flashed to me to change their seats.

“This is somewhere between status quo and real changes. To satisfy your curiosity, you may enter the DUN on Nov 20,” he said.

Addressing inquiries about PSB president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh’s role as the Opposition leader in DUN, Asfia reiterated that PSB no longer identifies with the role of the opposition, substantiated by their conduct during the Jepak by-election.

“The Jepak by-election proves beyond any shed of doubt – they are not playing that role as Opposition anymore,” he said.

Earlier, he announced that slight changes would be done for the seating arrangement involving the Jepak seat as well as among GPS members.

Following Iskandar’s victory during the Jepak by-election, he said he will be sworn in as Jepak assemblyman on Nov 20 at 9am at the DUN building.

Also present at the press conference were Deputy Speaker Datuk Idris Buang and DUN secretary Pele Peter Tinggom.