PDP president: Futile to discuss seat allocations for State Election at such an early stage

PDP president Dato Seri Tiong King Sing. Photo credit: Dato' Seri Tiong King Sing's Facebook page

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Oct 1: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) holds that it is too early to discuss seat allocations at this stage.  

Its president, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said the allocation of seats among Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties will be determined when the time comes, based on key factors such as voter acceptance, quality of service, and chances of winning. 

To him, when the time is right, the decision will become clear. 

“Therefore, repeated discussions about seat allocations will only unsettle the public, make us lose our focus, and unfair to potential candidates who are genuinely serving the people. 

“Undue discussions will divert attention from their long-standing contributions, which will go unnoticed,” said Tiong, who is also Federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister in a press statement today.

Tiong pointed out that although there is still quite some time before the next Sarawak election, media reports regarding political parties or their factions vying for or even ‘pre-booking’ seats have stirred unnecessary debate and speculation among the public. 

“I would like to stress that it is simply too early to discuss seat allocations at this stage. The key factor should be whether the candidates are accepted by voters and are ‘winnable’ or not. 

“Therefore, I hope that political leaders, media both conventional and social, would refrain from discussing seat ‘battles’ extensively before the Sarawak election even takes place, as this could undermine the collective spirit of GPS’ ‘Sarawak First’ principle,” said Tiong.

He said PDP deputy president, Dato’ Henry Jinep had responded to the matter by upholding the spirit of GPS and ‘Sarawakian First’, which is consistent to PDP’s party stance.

“We are a party that serves the people, committed to maintaining a high standard of service quality. Whether or not we will contest in the elections will be decided by the people and the top leadership of GPS, and we will fully respect that decision,” said Tiong.

Meanwhile, he reminded PDP senior vice-president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, and vice-president, Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa, not to lose focus due to rumours but to concentrate on their duty of serving the people.

“After all, as Sarawak society progresses and public awareness increases, we can no longer view seat allocation with outdated thinking. 

“Who can lead Sarawak towards progress, reform, and prosperity? Who genuinely serves the people of Sarawak? The people are observing and will make their own judgments. Therefore, quietly working hard is the key to securing a place in the upcoming Sarawak election,” said Tiong. — DayakDaily