KUCHING: The three former Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) assemblymen will join the government bloc for the upcoming Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting from May 6 to 15 following them joining Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
Explaining on the matter, DUN speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar stated that the three honourable members (Bawang Assan assemblyman Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh; Engkilili assemblyman Johnical Rayong Ngipa; and Ba’kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian) were elected during the state election held on Dec 18, 2021.
He pointed out that the anti-hopping law was introduced on Nov 11, 2022, came into effect by the former Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and was gazetted on July 27, 2023.
“As the election was in 2021, and that the law came into force in 2023, the (anti-hopping) law could not apply to them.
“So, in their case, the law is irrelevant and non sequitur because the candidates won and were elected in 2021 before the law came into force. It is like shutting the stable doors after the horse has bolted,” he said during a press conference following the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) pre council meeting in conjunction with the DUN sitting at PBB headquarters here today.
Citing Amendment Two of Article 16B section 2(a) of the Sarawak Constitution Ordinance 2022, he said that, “A member of the DUN shall not cease to be a member of that DUN pursuant to this article by reason of (a) The dissolution or cancellation of registration of his political party. Therefore, the elected member does not cease to be a member either by dissolution of his party or cancellation of his political party.”
He also quoted Standing Order 2, stating that it is at the discretion of the DUN Speaker to determine the position of the seating arrangement, whose decision, therefore, shall be final.
“Therefore, the three former PSB members who are now members of the PDP will be moved from the opposition bloc to the government bloc, sitting on the left hand side of the Speaker,” he said.
For the record, after PSB received the dissolution approval letter from the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on March 19, all PSB members were accepted en bloc as members of PDP.
With PSB’s three assemblymen joining PDP, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) now holds 79 out of 82 seats in the DUN.
