PKR restructures Sarawak leadership for state polls

PKR is restructuring its Sarawak leadership, including the appointment of a new chairman, to gear up for the upcoming state election.

Mahmud Epah, who previously served as the Sarawak PKR secretary, has been named the new Sarawak state leadership council chairman.

This follows a meeting between the PKR leadership, led by its president, Anwar Ibrahim, and the state leadership in Kuching yesterday.

PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said the restructuring was aimed at strengthening the party machinery and election strategies for the polls, which are expected to take place in December.

Fuziah said the meeting reached several key decisions to strengthen the party’s preparations for the election.

The primary focus is on election strategy and operational groundwork as part of a comprehensive preparatory framework, she said in a statement.

She said Ahmad Nazib Johari, previously the state PKR chief, would continue his role in strengthening ties between the central leadership and Sabah and Sarawak, in line with the party’s objective to bolster its political network in both regions.

Yesterday, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state election was likely to be held in December.

Karim, who is also the state tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister, said premier Abang Johari Openg had yet to announce when the state assembly would be dissolved, but noted that December would mark five years since the last state election on Dec 18, 2021.

Under the law, a state election must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the state assembly. The state assembly’s term ends in February.

“Even if he (Abang Johari) calls it at the end of this month or in November, the election has to be held in December.

“December is usually the year-end period, and with Christmas, people take leave, so it has to be around that time,” he told a press conference in Kuching.

Karim said Chinese New Year falls in January, followed by Ramadan in February, which made either month unsuitable for the polls.

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