FORMER PKR assemblyman Ali Biju is in a spot after Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg ruled out giving seats to state-based Perikatan Nasional (PN) parties from the peninsula in the next state elections.

If he defends the seat, the two-term Kerian assemblyman will have to face the might of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak machinery.

Ali won the Dayak-majority seat on the PKR ticket in the 2011 and 2016 elections.

Ali, who refused to comment on his predicament, first won the seat in a four-way fight where he ousted the incumbent Peter Nyarok Entrie by more than 2,000 votes.

In 2016, he won in a straight fight but by a smaller majority.

Ali, sacked by PKR over his failure to support party president Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister in the February political crisis, is loyal to former PKR deputy president Mohd Azmin Ali.

Both are now part of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-based party, Bersatu.

Abang Johari, who heads the four Sarawak-party ruling state coalition last week made it clear that GPS will not make way for any PN coalition party with branches in Sarawak to contest in the next elections.

GPS component parties will contest in all the 82 seats allocated to them, he said.

Political pundit Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya says Ali has a tough decision to make to dig himself out of the situation.

An election is imminent and Ali has to make a decision quickly, he said.

Awang Azman, however, believes if Ali does defend the seat, he will “likely lose”.

He said this is because Bersatu has no grassroots support, not only in Krian, but the whole state.

“Ali is on shaky ground now.”

Awang Azman said Ali might hope for an intervention from party president Muhyiddin to dig him out of the predicament and save his seat.

But Awang Azman doubts Muhyiddin, even though he might be the prime minister, has the political clout to put pressure on the Sarawak coalition that is shoring up his fragile government.

“I doubt Muhyiddin would want to irritate GPS over one seat. Moreover, Muhyiddin is already saddled with all kinds of political issues in the peninsula and Sabah.

“It would be hard for him to focus on one seat.”

The Krian seat, which has nearly 12,000 voters, had been allocated to the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

The other GPS coalition parties are Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).

Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Jayum Jawan agrees with Awang Azman on Ali’s present predicament but said he might not lose the seat if he defends it.

“Ali is now in a Catch-22 situation. But I do not believe Ali would do the unthinkable, give up altogether and not contest to please GPS,” he said.

Jayum said if Ali does take that decision, then what assurance could he get on his Saratok parliamentary seat if Parliament is later dissolved.

As it stands, Ali faces the same situation in federal elections if he is still with Bersatu.

“It’s a Catch-22 for Ali. He, therefore, has to decide what is best for him. He can’t leave that to others, including his new party Bersatu.”

Jayum said since Krian is an Iban-majority seat, then it is not a seat for “non-Iban party” PDP.

“The claim by PDP will be weak and I don’t think PBB will stick out its neck for PDP if Bersatu pushes for the seat for Ali.” – September 10, 2020.