KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Warisan plan to form a Bornean Alliance (Parti Perikatan) to face the upcoming 15th General Election (GE-15).
PSB Presidential Council member Baru Bian said he had discussed the matter through several meetings with Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
“We really hope to be able to do that. It’s either you’re the third team or one day you play the role of a political mastermind (kingmaker),” he said in a statement, on Wednesday.
Baru said it was important to have such an alliance so that the people of Sarawak and Sabah would together ensure their rights were taken seriously such as the devolution of power to the two states.
According to him, there is a possibility that Warisan will lead the alliance in Sabah and PSB will lead it in Sarawak.
“Then we bring other local parties into the alliance so that we can win as many seats as possible in Sarawak and Sabah as well as some of the seats won by Warisan in Sabah, which in turn can be a very viable third force,” he added.
He said with Warisan entering the peninsula and getting encouraging response there, the Borneo Alliance could be an alternative to voters there.
“What I observe now, in the peninsula, there is no a single coalition that will get a majority to form a government.
“So, they will need support from Sarawak and Sabah, especially when looking at the various coalitions we have now,” he said.
He said as far as PSB was concerned, it is the best time for the coalition to become the highest authority so that individuals from Borneo, namely Sabah or Sarawak can become the Prime Minister.
Asked whether the alliance would also take parties from the peninsula that already had local charters in Sarawak and Sabah, he said it was up to the alliance to decide.
National parties with local charters in Sarawak and Sabah include DAP, PKR, Amanah and PAS.
