SARAWAK PKR, in a disarray after a rash of sackings left the party bereft of leaders at every level, has reached out to a former assemblyman they expelled in 2011 to help stabilise the party ahead of state elections.

Dominique Ng, sacked for contesting as an independent to defend his urban Padungan seat in Kuching after it was traded with DAP in 2011, is now back as a member of the state leadership council (MPN).

Ng’s victory in the Chinese-majority seat in the 2006 election was a breakthrough for PKR.

After nine years in the political wilderness, Ng, a senior lawyer and president of the human rights group Sarawak Association for People’s Aspirations (Sapa), was approached by PKR’s new state chief, Larry Sng, to return and help rescue the party.

Among the Sarawak PKR leaders sacked for backing former deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali in the late February coup that deposed the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government were its chief Baru Bian, who is also its state assemblyman for Ba Kelalan and MP for Selangau.

Others expelled from the party include Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How, Ali Biju (Krian assemblyman and Saratok MP), Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo MP) and key leaders in its youth and women wings.

Ng said he agreed to return because the “cartel of YBs (lawmakers) within PKR”, whom he blamed for engineering the seat swap, were no longer in the party.

“The reason why I had to leave PKR was because I was betrayed by the ‘cartel of YBs’ within PKR and my seat of Padungan was swapped with that of DAP’s Voon Lee Shan in Batu Lintang at the very last minute, thus killing off two quite active YBs who have both striven very hard to serve their constituencies.

“Since the real nature and character of this team of turncoats have now been exposed and they have either been sacked or have left the party, PKR has now requested for me to return to the party to help it out in a moment of internal crisis,” Ng said in a statement.

He did not mention who the “cartel of YBs” were.

The one-term assemblyman, who lost his deposit in a three-way contest for the Padungan seat in the 2011 election – polling only 439 votes from the 16,558 who had turned out to vote – said his appointment was effective May 9, “the second anniversary of the momentous PH win”.

Ng said he is just an ordinary member without any position.

“I do not want any posts.”

Ng said he only agreed to rejoin the party after a very long consideration and he is prepared to let bygones be bygones.

“I have already long forgiven those who have betrayed me.

“As I later told one long-time member, I do not want the party we have built to be so easily destroyed by these turncoats.

“I sincerely hope PKR will become a much better party, one that can truly fight for the people’s justice, after such a soul-searching and deep betrayal.”

Ng started his political life in DAP in 1983, when he was invited by then Bandar Kuching MP Sim Kwang Yang, until he left them for PKR in 1998.

“I was always one of them (PKR), even though I had to leave in extreme sadness and disappointment, in 2011.”

Ng’s three decades of social activism had often seen him run afoul of the law and he had been arrested several times over the years.

He assured Sapa’s members and supporters that he has not changed his stance and resolution to fight for the return Sarawak’s rights even though he’s back in PKR.

“The PKR leadership is aware of my stance and position. What belongs to Sarawak must be returned to Sarawak.”

The Sarawak elections must be held by June next year. – May 11, 2020.