PBK says the selection of community leaders, headmen by a committee against democratic principles

KUCHING, Feb 10 2026: Parti Bumi Kenyalang  has expressed its strong rejection of the practice of appointing community leaders through a government-controlled selection committee under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) administration.

Voon Lee Shan: The GPS government must respect the will of the people and the customs that are constitutionally protected. 

Its president Voon Lee Shan said such an approach is contrary to democratic principles and inconsistent with the spirit and protection of the Federal Constitution, which recognises and safeguards native customary laws and practices in Sarawak.

“For generations—long before the introduction of written law—community leaders among the native peoples were chosen by their own communities and tribes, in accordance with customs that have guided social order, leadership legitimacy, and communal harmony.

“These customs are not mere traditions, a customary law is law and it forms an integral part of Sarawak’s legal and cultural foundation.

Voon, a practising lawyer, stressed that the imposition of leaders through government appointment or selection committees undermines the right of communities to self-determine their leadership, weakens public trust, and erodes the legitimacy of those appointed.

“Leadership imposed from above cannot replace leadership that grows from within the community itself,” he said, in reference to the quarrel between two GPS component parties - Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) over the political appointments of community leaders and village headmen.

Voon said PBK maintains that any system which sidelines community choice and overrides established native customs raises serious constitutional concerns and is open to legal challenge.

He added governance must respect the will of the people and the customs that are constitutionally protected.

“We call upon the GPS government to immediately halt the appointment of community leaders through selection committees and to respect the long-standing customary processes of native communities,” he suggested.

He also called on the state government to restore the right of communities to select their own leaders freely and transparently.

He stressed that true democracy begins at the grassroots, pointing out that Sarawak’s future must be built on respect, consent, and constitutional integrity, not administrative convenience.

PDP president Tiong King Sing and SUPP have been fighting over the appointments of community leaders and village headmen in Dudong and Bawang state constituencies, which are held by PDP.

Tiong has accused SUPP, especially its president and Deputy Premier Dr Sim Kui Hian, of replacing PDP representatives for the community leaders and village head with SUPP -appointed representatives.

The Dudong state legislative member (SLM) has said the PDP representatives were selected by the selective committees for Dudong and Bawang constituencies and should not be sidelined.

SUPP, in defending Dr Sim, replied that the appointments of community leaders and headmen were decided by the state Cabinet.

SUPP also accused Tiong of replacing SUPP-appointed community leaders and headmen upon his election in Dudong in the 2021 state election.

It said Tiong should not play victim as he himself had picked PDP representatives to replace SUPP-appointed community leaders and headmen in the past.