PSB's Alias ready to slay GPS giant to bring changes, equality to Bukit Sari

LAWAS: Coffee shop "political analysts" believe that Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) candidate Alias Mail is "digging his own grave" by taking on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan for the Bukit Sari state seat in the Sarawak election on Dec 18.

But try telling that to the 68-year-old Customs Department pensioner, who is determined to contest in this election because he is on a mission to bring changes to the socio-economic status of the people in Bukit Sari, which is located in the northern region of Sarawak.

He also hopes to ensure equitable development for all races in Bukit Sari, which is one of two state seats under the Lawas parliamentary constituency.

"PSB is a party that leans more towards equality and justice for all and that's what attracts me (to it). In fact, PSB has given me the highest honour by making me fight with them.

"We want equality and justice for all races so that everyone (in Lawas) enjoys sustainable facilities and development," he told Bernama when met recently in Lawas, which is located at the Sabah-Sarawak border.

The Bukit Sari constituency will see a three-cornered fight this time as Alias and Riyah Basrah of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) try to wrest the seat from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate Awang Tengah.

While admitting that it won't be easy to dethrone Awang Tengah, a leading and experienced political figure who has been the elected state representative for six terms, Alias was quick to stress that he was still optimistic of winning over the Bukit Sari constituents.

"It's not easy taking on someone (Awang Tengah) who is so famous, has solid support and, in fact, has never lost. According to history, I know BN (Barisan Nasional) or PBB (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu) in Lawas has never been threatened by other parties or individuals.

"He (Awang Tengah) has been the (Bukit Sari) elected representative for so long, so we feel like we need somebody to make a change for the people here," he said.

As for his campaign strategy, Alias said that the PSB machinery decided to use the various multimedia platforms to focus on several specific areas in Bukit Sari in a bid to garner support from voters there.

At the 2011 state election, Awang Tengah, who is also the PBB deputy president, defeated Japar Suyut of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with a majority of 5,063 votes while in 2016, he won unopposed.

Based on the Election Commision data, the Bukit Sari constituency has a total of 13,054 registered voters.

-- BERNAMA