SIBU: Berita ngerimbas pending ke viral ba media rama madah, penemuai presiden Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM) Rani Kulup ke Kuching kemari bisi kaul enggau orang ke numbuhka sebengkah parti baru, Parti Bansa Dayak (DNP) nerima sakal ari Direktor Strategik ke mega Ketuai Penerang DNP, Michael Lingkong.

Bakal meletakkan calon di kerusi DUN Marudi, Lambir, Bekenu dan Senadin pada PRN akan datang

MIRI: Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) akan datang dijangka lebih sengit dengan kehadiran sebuah parti baharu, Parti Kebangsaan Dayak (DNP) yang dijangka meletakkan seramai mungkin calon kaum Dayak berpendidikan dan berkerjaya profesional dalam bidang masing-masing di beberapa kerusi yang mempunyai majoriti kaum Dayak di negeri ini.

Tidak hanya terhad di kawasan luar bandar, parti itu turut menyasarkan kawasan bandar khususnya kawasan didiami ramai kaum Dayak.

Di Miri, spekulasi turut tercetus dengan DNP dikatakan bakal meletakkan calon-calonnya di kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Marudi, Lambir, Bekenu dan Senadin.

Antara keempat-empat kerusi tersebut, Senadin dikatakan antara kerusi paling panas dan bakal menyaksikan perebutan lebih daripada empat penjuru.

Selain Barisan Nasional (BN) mungkin ditentang musuh tradisinya PKR, kerusi Senadin bakal menyaksikan campur tangan DAP, kemungkinan calon Bebas dan kini DNP turut berminat terhadap kerusi itu.

Khabar angin hangat tersebar di beberapa laman media sosial dan ruang sembang sosial menyaksikan DNP bakal mempertaruh pembantu peribadi Ketua PKR Miri yang juga Ahli Parlimen Miri Dr Michael Teo iaitu Bill Kayong.

Spekulasi itu turut mempersoal kedudukan Bill sebagai bakal calon DNP memandangkan beliau kini masih Setiausaha PKR Cabang Miri.

Sementara itu, Bill ketika dihubungi di sini semalam memberitahu bahawa beliau tidak tahu mengenai dirinya dicalonkan sehinggalah terlihat namanya dalam senarai tidak rasmi dikeluarkan DNP baru-baru ini.

“Saya sedar khabar angin tersebut sedang bertiup kencang, khususnya di media-media sosial dan saya hanya mengetahui nama saya disenaraikan sebagai ‘bakal calon’ menerusi kenyataan tidak rasmi parti berkenaan dan sehingga kini belum ada sesiapa pun tampil bertemu dengan saya untuk menyatakan perkara secara jelas atau hitam putih,” jelasnya.

Bagaimanapun, Bill tidak membuat sebarang penafian berhubung ‘pencalonan’ tersebut atau mengesahkannya, sebaliknya berterima kasih kepada DNP kerana memilih beliau sebagai ‘bakal calon’ mewakili parti berkenaan dan kepercayaan parti baharu itu kepadanya.

Sementara itu, jurucakap parti tersebut memberitahu bahawa DNP kini dalam usaha mendaftarkan parti itu dengan Jabatan Pendaftar Pertubuhan (ROS) dan jika diluluskan sebelum PRN maka DNP menggunakan logonya sendiri.

“Sebaliknya, jika parti kami masih belum sempat diluluskan pendaftarannya menjelang PRN maka kami memilih menumpang salah satu parti yang tidak aktif namun sudah berdaftar dengan ROS secara rasmi,” katanya.

Menurut beliau, terdapat banyak parti yang sudah berdaftar dengan ROS namun tidak aktif kerana kekangan pelbagai aspek termasuk kewangan.

Katanya, DNP akan memilih satu parti berkenaan dan seterusnya mengadakan mesyuarat agung tergempar membentuk satu jawatankuasa baharu bagi membolehkan ia bergerak.

Menurut jurucakap itu, sebahagian bakal calon mereka sudah dikenal pasti manakala sebahagian lagi masih dalam proses penentuan dengan beberapa bakal calon sudah mulai bergerak mencari sokongan.-Utusan Borneo

KUCHING: Speculation is rife on social media that a new party called Dayak National Party (DNP) has been formed and it has candidates ready for the next 11th state election.

However, a check with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) turned up empty.

State ROS director Ken Leben said there was no such application, adding he did check with his headquarters in Putrajaya after getting the news from social media.

“Insofar as the ROS is concerned, there is no such new political party,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He said it would take some time for any party to get registered as it would have to be screened thoroughly by the ROS.

“So, if a new party wants to apply now, it will not be in time to get registered for the next state election.”

However, when queried, a ROS spokesman did not dismiss the possibility that an existing political party could amend its constitution to assume a new name, similar to what Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) did before.

“SWP, before it amended its constitution, was Sabah-based Sabah People’s Front Party (SPF). So yes, it is possible for an existing party to amend its constitution to change its name and for the ‘new’ party to participate in the next state election if it is held in March next year,” said the spokesman.

When contacted, Bill Kayong, whose name has been shortlisted to stand in Senadin, said he would not deny nor confirm the speculation.

“DUN Senadin is among the ‘hot seats’ in this upcoming state election. I would like to thank DNP leaders for choosing me as their candidate,” said Bill, who is also the secretary of Dayak NGO Pedas.

Another shortlisted candidate, Lina Kujak, who works as a translator with The Borneo Post’s sister paper Utusan Borneo’s Iban section, laughed off the speculation and denied any knowledge of it.

She said it could not be true as she is from Bintangor while she had been speculated to stand in Bukit Assek in Sibu.

Besides these two individuals, there are at least 17 other names of professionals from various fields. They were neither from the BN or the opposition.

The speculation also claimed that the new party was being funded by a billionaire who is close to a ‘Tun’ and a ‘Datuk Seri’ and purportedly a very influential Sarawak ex-politician.

Meanwhile, PRS president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing advised aspiring Dayak politicians not to be overly enthusiastic about forming a new political party even though he claimed the Dayaks, especially the Ibans, had the tendency to be “egalitarian in nature”, thinking that they had the right to do whatever they think was right.

He also warned the Dayaks that as a minority group in the country, they could not afford to be split further.

“PRS, as an offshoot from PBDS, is fighting for the Dayaks and is still very much relevant today to assist the community further. If we have fall short in anyway, we would like to invite the young and professional Dayaks to join us to make things better together from within the party that we already have,” he appealed.

Masing also stressed that there was no chance for ‘gung-ho’ to make any impact on local politics as they do not touch base with the people especial those at the grassroots’
level.

“PRS has been doing what needs to be done for the good of the Dayak community, especially in terms of native customary right (NCR) land. We will also continue to fight for better Dayak representation in the civil services as well as other things that will benefit the community.

“That’s the reason we continue to have engagement with the people, especially in the rural areas, so that we will continue to uphold their struggles. But all these aspirations, as mentioned by DNP as their purported manifesto, has been part of our struggle all these while,” added Masing.-Borneo Post