MIRI, Nov 9 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Baram branch chief Roland Engan has confirmed that there would be no clash between his party and Pakatan Harapan (PH) ally Democratic Action Party (DAP) in fielding candidates for the three state seats under Baram in the next state election.

According to him, PH Sarawak has achieved an understanding that PKR will contest in Marudi, Telang Usan and Mulu.

"In principle, we agree on one-to-one fight. We want the candidates for these three seats to be from PKR, which also represents Pakatan Harapan,” he told reporters at a press conference here yesterday.

In the 2016 state election, DAP and PKR clashed in Mulu as both parties nominated their respective candidates to fight against then-direct Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Gerawat Gala.

DAP’s Paul Anyie Raja and PKR’s Pauls Baya only secured 309 and 1,490 votes, respectively, while Gerawat polled 3,198. Another contender, Independent Roland Dom Mattu, received 239 votes.

"This time, there will be no clash among PH partners, namely DAP and PKR, in all the three seats in Baram,” said PKR’s Roland.

He also pointed out that PKR had nominated three names to its state leadership council as the potential candidates for the three seats — Elias Lipi Mat for Marudi, Philip Jau for Telang Usan, and Boyce Ngau for Mulu.

On another subject, Roland — also PKR Sarawak vice-chairman — said his party was willing to cooperate with other opposition parties towards ensuring a straight fight against Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in this 12th state election.

He, however, also stressed that this could only be achieved if the other opposition parties would accept ‘its struggles without any condition’.

Listing Marudi, Telang Usan and Mulu again, he said all these three seats had been contested by PKR in the last few elections.

In this regard, he called upon Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) ‘for willingness in collaborating with PKR in the 12th state election by giving way to PKR to stand in the three state seats in Baram’.

He was responding to PSB Presidential Council member Baru Bian who had, in a recent statement, stressed about the importance of cooperation among all opposition parties in the coming state election.

Baru was quoted as having said that there should be no three or multiple-cornered fights between the opposition parties and GPS in the coming polls. — Borneo Post