KUCHING, June 25 — Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) will field a woman for the first time in the next general election as recognition of the gender’s contribution to the party, Tan Sri Dr James Masing said today.

"Women account for about 50 per cent of our members and the least we can do is to give them one seat to contest in the general election,” the deputy Sarawak chief minister and PRS president said.

Masing said an under-performing incumbent federal lawmaker will be asked to make way for the still unnamed candidate to contest.

"Currently I am looking at the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of all our six members of parliament and the majority of them are performing on par,” he told reporters at Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Openg’s Hari Raya open house at the Borneo Convention Centre here.

He also said incumbents not picked to defend their seats must gracefully help to support their replacements.

Masing said he is confident that PRS will retain all the six seats – Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Julau, Hulu Rejang, Selanggau and Kanowit – the general election due next year.

"We do not have any internal problems that can prevent us from sweeping all the seats,” he said.