THREE seats are a source of potential problem for the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the upcoming state elections.

The seats are the Chinese-majority seat of Bawang Assan in Sibu and Dayak-majority seats of Opar and Mambong in Kuching.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Abang Openg has been sidestepping questions about the three seats, with rumours saying Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PPB) is eyeing them, which are traditional Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) seats.

Abang Johari gave vague answers when asked which party will contest the seats today, pegging some issues on “personality problems”.

He said GPS “will decide after a consultation”, adding that the alliance is in no hurry as the Election Commission has not yet set any date for the polls.

EC will decide the date in Kuching tomorrow.

Ranum Mina, who is the incumbent for Opar, has held the seat for three terms since 2006. He first contested on the then Barisan Nasional (BN)–SUPP ticket.

The former military officer defended the seat on the BN–SUPP ticket again in the 2011 elections, but defected to a small party called Teras in 2014.

However, the flirt with Teras was fleeting.

Like all former SUPP members who were either sacked or pushed to resign over their support for Wong Soon Koh in a bitter leadership row that brought the party to the brink of deregistration, Ranum joined Wong’s newly formed party, United Peoples’ Party (UPP).

UPP changed its name to Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) in a rebranding exercise in December 2018.

Ranum defended his Opar seat as a BN candidate in the state elections in 2016. But when PSB was kicked out and stripped of its status as a GPS-friendly party, the seat should have automatically reverted to SUPP.

The Mambong seat shares a similar story, though its incumbent had defected to PBB. The former PSB deputy president had wanted to take the seat with him in violation of the seat allocation agreement. – November 23, 2021.