SARAWAK PAS, which had harboured hopes of contesting five parliamentary seats in the coming general election, found that it was given one Perikatan Nasional (PN) announced its candidates last night.

The Islamist party in mid-October said it was looking to have another go at the seats it contested in the 2018 national polls – Petra Jaya, Kota Samarahan, Batang Sadong, Batang Lupar and Sibuti.

It was instead given only Batang Lupar, a constituency whose electorates are 67% Muslim bumiputera.

“It’s okay,” Sarawak PAS information chief Syamsul Bahri Mohd told The Malaysian Insight.

“We are looking at the bigger picture,” he said, alluding to the “Big Tent” strategy where all the opposition parties are gunning to defeat Barisan Nasional (BN).

In last night’s unveiling, the candidate was also not named.

That, Syamsul explained, was because PN had left to PAS national leadership to make the announcement.

The sole PAS candidate will contest under the PN logo instead of the more familiar white circle against a green background.

Syamsul said the party was given Batang Lupar because it contested the Beting Maro state seat in the Sarawak elections last December.

It was also the only seat the party contested in the state elections.

Beting Maro is one of three state seats that make up the Batang Lupar parliamentary seat. The other two are Sebuyau and Lingga.

In the five-way fight, PAS’ Arif Paijo picked up 2,058 votes of the 7, 302 votes cast to come in second behind the two-term incumbent Razali Gapor of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

Razali had polled 3,769 votes to win by a majority of 1,711 votes.

Soundly beaten were then acting PKR state chairman Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh who polled a mere 765 votes to show just how far the party had fallen in the state.

Independent candidate Saifudin Matsah scored 636 votes and a Chinese candidate from Parti Bumi Kenyalang Jacky Chiew Su Chee won just 74 votes.

All lost their deposits.

Apart from the seat allocate to PAS in Sarawak, PN also gave three to Bersatu with the surprise naming of incumbent Lubok Antu MP Jugah Muyang as its candidate.

Jugah won the Dayak-majority seat as an independent in the 2018 general election.

Not long after, he joined PKR only to dump the party when the PH government collapsed and became an Independent MP.

Jugah was shopping for a party prior to the dissolution of parliament with his old party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) as his first choice.

PRS rejected his application to return to the party.

PN is also fielding Bersatu’s Ali Biju to defend his Saratok seat and a new face, Duke Janteng, to contest Bintulu.

This will be PN’s first general election foray in the state and its four candidates will definitely be in direct confrontation with GPS candidates.

GPS is a member of the PN federal government and its 18 MPs helped shore up support to form the fragile administration.

In a statement issued late last night, Ali said PN president Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision for him to contest under the PN banner should not be an issue with GPS.

He insisted there was an agreement between GPS and Bersatu for him to withdraw contesting his Krian seat in the state elections in return for defending his Saratok parliamentary seat.

“When I withdrew from the contest for the N.39 Krian state seat, I had sincerely campaigned for the PDP (Progressive Democratic Party) candidate and kept my end of the agreement that was made between both parties,” he said.

GPS chairman and Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg had said there was never any agreement made. – Bernama, November 2, 2022.