Kuching, March 27, 2012: Patrick Sibat Sujang, a close confidante and a trusted man of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing, has resigned from the party today, saying that he wants to continue his political struggle with Pakatan Raykat.
“I have lost faith in the Barisan Nasional leadership,” he said in an interview after emailing his resignation letter to PRS secretary-general Datuk Wilfred Nissom.
His resignation as a member of PRS as well as a member of the supreme council took effect immediately.
Sibat wrote:”I would like to tender my letter of resignation as a member of Parti Rakyat Sarawak as well as a member of the supreme council with immediate effect.
“I wish to thank my former colleagues for their support and fellowship towards me all this while,” he concluded.
Asked what prompted him to resign, Sibat said:”I have always been a Barisan Nasional man all this while, but in the last five years, I saw a lot of things which I think were not properly managed and that is why we have so many unsolved problems.
“These include the issues concerning the native customary rights land which have not been handled properly,” he said.
“I believe that these issues could be better handled with the change in the governments at the state and federal levels,” he said.
“When I look at the PR struggles and its leadership as well as their wisdom, there is a place for everyone under the Malaysian sun,” he said, adding:”I believe that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can handle the job as the prime minister of Malaysia better.”
He said he believed in the struggle of the Pakatan Rakyat and the wisdom of its leaders in managing the country.
On PRS role in the Barisan Nasional, Sibat said there is nothing much it can do, being a small party.
He said he has a feeling that the leaders of the three component parties of the State BN – SPDP, PRS and SUPP – fear Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
“There is always the spirit of fear among leaders because Taib is very powerful politically.
“I regard as truth Masing’s statement asking the people not to lawan the towkay.
“But only this time, the towkay is Taib and the people who should not lawan the towkay are the BN leaders,” he suggested.
“You can’t talk much within the Barisan Nasional because what you talk may be misconstrued as against the Barisan Nasional leadership,” he said.
He said there is no point for him to remain in PRS since it cannot do much for the Dayak community.
“Being a small party, it has its limit so it is not that effective.”
On his relationship with Masing, Sibat said he still considers the party president as a personal friend.
“We have been friends for a long time and I don’t think politics will divide us apart,” he said.
Sibat was one of the promoters of PRS in 2003 before the de-registration of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) in 2004.
PBDS was then in a serious leadership crisis.
One faction, led by Masing, knew that PBDS was about to be deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) so they came with an idea to form a new party to accommodate Wakil Rakyats and PBDS members supporting Masing.
When PBDS was eventually deregistered, PRS was formed while those supporting PBDS president Datuk Seri Daniel Tajem joined opposition parties or remained partyless.
Among Tajem’s loyalists was current Sarawak PKR leader Baru Bian.
Meanwhile, Nissom said the party cannot stop any members from resigning.
“It is up to them,” he said, adding that the party would make appropriate comment after receiving Sibat’s resignation letter.
“We will discuss the resignation in our party’s supreme council meeting scheduled for April 13,” he added.
He said he does not think it is proper for Sibat to send his resignation letter by emailing it.
“It has to be hand-delivered to the party headquarters,” he explained. By Sematong Express.
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