MIRI, July 18 — PAS is aiming to contest at least eight seats in the next Sarawak state election following a review of its performance in previous polls

Its Sarawak commissioner, Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo, said the party began preparing its election machinery early this year in anticipation of the state election, which he expects to be held by the end of the year.

“In the 2016 state election, PAS contested 11 seats, while in the 2021 election we contested only one.

“After conducting a post-mortem and analysing our previous election performance, Sarawak PAS has now set a target of contesting at least eight seats in the next state election,” he told reporters after the PAS Youth Wing Convention at a hotel here on Saturday (July 18).

Mohammad Arifiriazul said at least four of the eight proposed seats have been submitted to the party’s central leadership for consideration.

They include constituencies within the Betong and Batang Lupar parliamentary areas, as well as several seats in northern Sarawak, including Bintulu, Sibuti and Miri.

He added that the party was also hoping to secure its first-ever seat in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly.

However, he declined to disclose which constituency PAS believes offers its best chance of winning.

Responding to claims that PAS is an “outside” party contesting in Sarawak, Mohammad Arifiriazul said the party had been established in the state for nearly three decades.

He noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of PAS’ presence in Sarawak.

“Historically, PAS has been in Sarawak longer than Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which shows that the party continues to receive acceptance from the people of Sarawak,” he said.

He also rejected the notion that only local-based parties should contest elections in the state, saying such a perception was inconsistent with democratic principles.

He said that Malaysia is a democratic country, and that a healthy democracy requires competition as well as checks and balances for the benefit of the people.

“Based on the political landscape in Sarawak, we have our own strategy and focus according to the resources available. Our emphasis is on a localised approach to ensure PAS has a meaningful presence in every community.

“There may be issues that can be addressed by the state government, but there is also room for the opposition to contribute through its role as a check and balance. That is the role PAS intends to play,” he said.

Also present were PAS Youth chief information officer Khairul Nadzir Helmi, Sarawak PAS Youth chief Sahrul Khair Osman, and Sarawak PAS Youth information chief Awang Azwan Awang Taib. — The Borneo Post