PSB says DAP blaming it for opposition’s polls failure ‘baseless’

KUCHING (Jan 19): Parti Bersatu Sarawak (PSB) yesterday dismissed Sarawak Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) contention that the dismal performance of opposition parties in the last state election was due to its participation in the polls.

In a press statement, PSB Secretariat said the DAP had on more than one occasion put the blame on fellow opposition parties, particularly PSB, for its disastrous result of winning only two seats out of 26 it contested.

The most recent accusation was when DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen suggested at the party’s recent state convention that the participation of PSB in the last state election had split the opposition votes and enabled Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) to retain power with a landslide victory.

During the convention, Chong cited five seats – Kota Sentosa, Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Tanjong Batu and Pujut – as examples where DAP could have won if not because of PSB’s presence in the polls.

“Looking back at the last elections, undeniably, the low voter turnout and vote splitting amongst the opposition directly resulted in the loss of our five incumbent constituencies,” said Chong.

The combined votes of PSB, PBK and Aspirasi in these five constituencies were a lot more than the majorities won by GPS over DAP candidates in the respective constituencies, he noted.

“These opposition parties could be genuine opposition parties. They could also be the strategy of the GPS to split our votes. Time will reveal the truth.”

PSB said Chong’s statement, which hurt its image, was defamatory and without basis as it insinuated that PSB had ulterior motives for contesting in the state polls.

Looking forward, PSB is appealing to opposition parties to stop attacking each other but to establish common understanding and cooperation to face the next parliamentary election

“If PSB was what DAP had claimed it to be, then PSB president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh should have won handsomely and not narrowly against GPS in Bawang Assan as he faced aggressive offensive by other political parties using all sorts of strategies to bring down the six-term assemblyman, only for him to win with 913 majority votes.”

PSB pointed out to Chong that the opposition fold was not only made up of PSB and DAP but also Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi), among others.

The statement also questioned the sincerity of DAP Sarawak leaders when apologising to voters recently, while putting the blame on its poor performance to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition’s less than satisfactory performance in its 22 months in power at federal level after the 2018 general election.

from Borneo Post Online https://ift.tt/3fzPEUT
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