At a press conference today, she said the decision to only contest 28 seats, compared to 47 in 2016, was to avoid three-cornered contests and in view of logistical issues as well as Covid-19 SOPs.
“Nonetheless, we hope that all party members and supporters would offer their full cooperation to these 28 candidates to achieve victory and reject Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS),” she said.
Hafsah said the theme of Sarawak PKR’s manifesto was “Prospering with PKR”, adding that the party’s aspiration was to uphold the dignity of the people and the state.
She accused the ruling GPS coalition, which had governed the state as part of Barisan Nasional before 2018, of failing to bring equal development and prosperity to the state, especially for rural folk.
“For more than five decades, Sarawak’s wealth and resources have been stolen by certain elite leaders and cronies. Many leaders have exorbitant wealth and lead lavish lives, while Sarawakians live in poverty and suffering.
“PKR will continue to champion the people’s aspirations to ensure everyone has access to better healthcare systems, job opportunities and basic infrastructure,” she said.
PKR’s Sarawak election director Dominique Ng pointed out that women and young candidates made up a bigger percentage of its contenders than GPS.
He said this showed that PKR would be better at representing the voices of women and youths, compared to GPS.
“In terms of the percentage of women candidates representing PKR, we have three times more than GPS, whereas for the percentage of youth candidates under the age of 35, we have two times more than GPS,” he said.
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