Parti Sedar Rakyat to contest 15 seats in upcoming Sarawak election, keeps list under wraps

Affendi Jeman

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Feb 15: Parti Sedar Rakyat (Sedar) will contest 15 seats in the upcoming Sarawak election, says its newly elected president Affendi Jeman.

“Even though I have just assumed the presidency, I want to announce that we will contest 15 seats,” he revealed in his maiden address during the party’s 7th Annual General Congress at Merdeka Palace here today.

When met by reporters afterward, Affendi refused to disclose the constituencies involved.

“I cannot reveal anything about the seats yet. The seats will be for the next State election,” he simply said.

On campaign issues, Affendi said Sedar will unveil its manifesto closer to the election.

Regarding candidate selection, he stressed that Sedar will prioritise individuals who genuinely want to serve the people rather than those seeking political status.

“I focus on people who want to serve first, not those who only want to become YBs. They must be trained and involved so that they can become the next generation of leaders,” he said.

Responding to questions on how a relatively new party like Sedar plans to challenge the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Affendi said the party’s strategy will focus on feedback and insights gathered directly from the grassroots.

“When we contest, it is more about understanding the situation of the current representatives. We focus on feedback and information received from ordinary people, especially in areas that are less served,” he said.

Affendi, who joined Sedar in November last year, said he was entrusted with the presidency following years of involvement in grassroots politics.

“I have been active in politics as an individual since 2006 and have contested in elections before, going back to 2013 and the last parliamentary election. I also had an organisation, basically a committee, and by then I had gathered around 70,000 supporters,” he said.

On party membership, Affendi said Sedar is currently recruiting and is targeting up to 100,000 members within the next six months.

“I believe all my supporters throughout the State will join Sedar. We are working hard and aiming for 100,000 members,” he said.

Affendi, who turns 63 this year, was previously involved with Sarawak United Malays National Organisation (Umno), Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Sarawak Branch, and Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras).

He is best known as a loyalist to Barisan Nasional (BN), a stance he reaffirmed today, saying he intends to make Sedar “a party that is very friendly to BN.”

BN’s reign in Sarawak ended in 2018 following the departure of its then-coalition strongholds — Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) — after losing in the 14th General Election (GE14). — DayakDaily