KUCHING: Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) will unveil its 14th general Election (GE14) candidates line-up, which is expected to feature 40 per cent new faces, at 9am tomorrow.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Abang Openg, who is also the state BN chairman, will make the official announcement at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters in Jalan Bako, Petra Jaya near here.
Abang Johari said the selection of candidates to contest at all 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak was shortlisted by the state BN leadership and approved by Prime Minister and BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“We will make the announcement tomorrow,” said Abang Johari, who is also the PBB president, after attending Sarawak campus Universiti Teknologi Swinburne’s convocation ceremony here today.
During the 13th General Election , Sarawak BN won 25 parliamentary seats while the remaining six parliamentary seats went to the opposition.
PBB, which is the backbone of the ruling coalition Sarawak, won 14 parliamentary seats while its ally, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), contributed six parliamentary seats to BN during the previous general election.
The other Sarawak BN component parties, Progressive Democratic Party, and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party won four and one parliamentary seats respectively.
Political observers predict that Sarawak BN will face no problem in retaining all 25 parliamentary seats and that the ruling coalition may cause a major upset to the opposition by wresting three more parliamentary seats.
When asked on the move by PRS to sack five of the party supreme council members last night, Abang Johari said Sarawak BN respected the decision made by its component party.
“We respect the decision,” he said.
The five PRS leaders sacked from the party included Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Joseph Entalau Belaun and incumbent Lubok Antu Member of Parliament Datuk William Nyalau Badak.
Deputy Chief Minister and PRS president Tan Sri James Jemut Masing had said the five leaders were sacked for going against the decision made by the party.