KUCHING: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) sole Member of Parliament in Sarawak, Datuk Ali Biju, is expected to remain with the party until the next general election as he has no other choice.
This is despite the party having collapsed in Sabah following the mass exodus of the party’s state leaders and members, including four MPs on Saturday (Dec 11).
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow said the Saratok MP contested and won the seat under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) logo in the 15th general election (GE15).
Meanwhile, the four MPs in Sabah who quit Bersatu, actually stood in the general election under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ticket.
“So, these are totally two different situations. This is also the first test for our country’s anti-hopping law and I expect it will be brought to court.
“But, it is quite sure Ali will stay as he has no other choice even with what’s happening in Sabah now,” he told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted on today (Dec 13).
On Saturday, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced that the leadership of Sabah Bersatu has unanimously decided to leave the party.
Hajiji, who is also the GRS chairman has not stated if and when they will form a new local party, but in the meantime, all Bersatu members will be direct members of the GRS, which is now part of the federal government in a coalition with Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Warisan, among others.
On whether Bersatu would remain relevant in Sarawak as well as Sabah, Azmi felt they still have a chance to rebuild the party but must act promptly.
He said it would be critical for Bersatu or PN to demonstrate that the failure of PN to form a federal government was totally separate from the Borneo political scenario.
“They need to give full autonomy to their MPs in Sabah and Sarawak – and that they are able to make decisions on their own and prioritise the interests and needs of the two states,” he said referring to Ali and Beluran MP Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (Sabah).
Otherwise, it would be the end of Bersatu in Sabah and Sarawak as it is a peninsula-based party.
However, Dr Azim said, even without Bersatu the two MPs would be able to continue to survive as the duo were very popular in their respective constituencies.
“It is not much about which party they are from but who they are, their aura and character. They have very strong grassroots support therefore, they can win in the next election even if they contest as an independent,” he added.
In the GE15 last month, PN decided to contest in four seats despite it having stayed out from the Sarawak state election in December last year. The party only won Saratok.
Ali (PN-Bersatu) garnered a majority of 8,826 votes against Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Giendam Jonathan Tait who polled 10,397 votes.
