KUCHING: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) looks on track to formally establish its first branch in Sarawak in Petra Jaya, Kuching.
Its branch chief Affendi Jeman said it will submit its formation application to the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
“I will submit it myself and expect to get approval soon before we proceed to other agendas,” he said.
The branch, he said, has a 17-member committee, aged between 25 to 60. The majority of them, he said, are fresh faces without any political experiences.
However, Affendi noted that they are looking for a platform to serve the nation and the people.
“We will begin to recruit more members and meet our partners, including DAP, PKR and Amanah after we receive the approval from headquarters,” he told reporters after a committee meeting on Sunday.
Affendi, who has been with the party for two years, is confident that the people of Sarawak will accept Bersatu, as long as the party serves the people with integrity and sincerity.
“Being a Peninsular Malaysia-based party should not be an issue as we are all Malaysians. It won’t limit what we can do for our people in Sarawak.
“The other (Peninsula-based) parties such as DAP and PKR have been well accepted by the locals too. So, I don’t see any reason why Bersatu will be rejected,” he said.
He said the people, regardless of whether they are from the Peninsula or Sarawak, had voiced their wish in the last general election, where they had voted for change.
“We will let the voters know of what changes we can bring to Petra Jaya, although we know that the constituency is a PBB stronghold,” he said, referring to Parti Pesaka Bumputera Bersatu.
Asked on the overall setup of Bersatu in Sarawak, including the position of state chairman and other committee members, Affendi said he was not in the position to comment further.
“We will let our party chairman (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) decide on that later,” he said.