KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) leaders and members in Serembu are very confident the seat will be allocated to the party by Barisan Nasional ‘s top leadership.
This is due to the strong support commanded by PBB in Serembu and the very favourable response given to the activities organised by the party there, said PBB Serembu ad-hoc committee deputy chairman Miro Simuh.
“We did a lot of programmes since November to promote PBB in Serembu, where we already have a very strong support. We now have 3,200 members and growing in the 34 PBB sub-branches and seven PBB zones we have in Serembu.
“These are solid facts for us to claim Serembu seat under PBB. Other parties do not have such membership strength like we have,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Serembu is one of the 11 new seats to be contested in the next state election.
PBB president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem was recently quoted as saying the party will take five of the seats, but the final decision on which seats to be contested has not yet been made.
The Serembu seat is carved out of Bengoh seat, which is now renamed as Mambong.
Both seats, together with Tarat state seat, are under the parliamentary constituency of Mambong which is now renamed as Puncak Borneo.
To a question, Miro said the PBB Serembu ad-hoc committee is chaired by Deputy Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water and Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Seri Dr James Dawos.
He explained the ad-hoc committee was formed following the creation of Serembu seat, as preparation for it to be formally turned into a new branch of PBB sometime soon.
On the PBB activities in Serembu, he said the PBB Serembu ad-hoc committee has been organising ‘Jelajah PBB’ (PBB Tour) activities every week in the villages in the constituency.
“Every week, we are moving on the ground holding activities, where we also hold membership recruitment. We already have more than 3,200 members, with a lot of membership application forms still being processed.
“We are very confident and keen to get Serembu as PBB seat. PBB is already ready with a candidate for Serembu,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Facebook posting by PBB Bengoh secretary Jeguk Ngamo quoted Dawos as urging the constituents to give full support for a BN-PBB candidate in the area, in his speech at the opening of multi- purpose hall in Kampung Padang Pan last Wednesday.
Miro confirmed that Dawos had made such speech, which indicated PBB’s readiness to contest the seat under the BN banner.
“We are really aiming for it. We have existed there for so long, worked hard there, recruiting members to increase PBB membership there,” he said, adding PBB Serembu ad- hoc committee will be organising another Jelajah PBB programme at Kampung Bijuray Mongag on New Year’s eve.
Based on demographics, Serembu is a Bidayuh-majority seat covering the areas of Siniawan, Kranji, Kopit, Krokong, Podam, Peninjau Baru, Merembeh, Kandis, Sungai Pinang, Paku, Tanjung Durian, Lidah Tanah, Seropak, Seromah, Segubang, Sogo, Rabak Rotan, Pangkalan Tebang, Monggak, Blimbin, Gumbang, Padang Pan and Krokong.
So far, PBB seems to be the only BN component actively going on the ground to stake claim to this new seat and it was also learnt that the name of the proposed candidate has already been submitted to the party’s top leadership.
Over the political fence, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has also been active and has named a young lawyer Athina Sim as a potential candidate. - Borneo Post
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