KUCHING, March 30 ― The Sarawak State Assembly won’t be dissolved tomorrow, senior state minister Tan Sri James Masing said today amid media speculation.
He confirmed that the state chief minister would be meeting with the governor, but dismissed rumours that it signalled the impending dissolution of the assembly to pave way for elections.
“Yes, it is true that Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem will be going to the Astana tomorrow, but it will be to brief the Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud on the Cabinet papers before we have our fortnightly state Cabinet meeting,” the Land Development minister said to reporters after opening a seminar on addressing the manpower needs of the oil palm industry in Sarawak here.
He said it was a regular meeting as the chief minister must brief the governor before every Cabinet meeting as required by the State Constitution and in accordance with the parliamentary practice.
Masing, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president, said that he expected the state elections to be held before June 20, the date which the current term of the State Assembly automatically expires.
He said the chief minister first needs to settle the political impasse between the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and its breakaway United People's Party (UPP) before he can call for the state elections.
“To me, the SUPP-UPP problem has nothing to do with political objectives, but personal grudges among the leaders of the two parties,” he said.
Masing also urged UPP president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh and other UPP leaders intending to contest as direct Barisan candidates to abide by the advice of the chief minister to resign from their membership and posts in the party.
He said only people without any party will be picked as direct Barisan Nasional candidates.
“We, in PRS, fully support the chief minister on this issue,” he said, adding the practice of picking direct candidates is to reduce too much politicking.
