PBB senior vice-presidents Douglas Uggas Embas and Awang Tengah Ali Hassan are expected to be appointed as the party’s two deputy presidents, representing its Pesaka and Bumiputera wings, respectively.
“The two deputy presidents will be elected during the party’s convention in April next year,” Rundi told reporters after the state cabinet was sworn in yesterday.
While Awang Tengah, if elected, will be replacing Johari, who is currently deputy president of the Bumiputera wing, Uggah’s elevation will be based on “an understanding” with current PBB deputy president Alfred Jabu in Pesaka, Rundi added.
Based on party tradition, he said, “we have a hierarchy system which we normally follow”, the Kuching-based daily said.
Rundi, who is also state public utilities minister, agreed the party hierarchy was not necessarily followed. He was referring to the late Adenan Satem, who was only the party’s information chief when he took over and was sworn in to replace Taib Mahmud as chief minister in 2014.
Johari was appointed chief minister just two days after Adenan passed away. Earlier, speculation was rife that the new chief minister would only be appointed after the seven-day mourning period.
On a related matter, Rundi said PBB would most likely field a member of Adenan’s family as its candidate for the Tanjung Datu state seat left vacant following his demise.
The decision, based on voter sentiment in the seat and in the party, was to continue the legacy of the late chief minister.
Rundi referred to Tanjung Datu as a very safe seat for the party.
“Surely, we will be able to defend it. We want someone to carry the name (of the family) because it was the late Adenan’s seat,” Rundi was quoted a saying by the Borneo Post.
He said he would leave it to the chief minister, also the party leader, to decide on the candidate for Tanjung Datu.
He expected the PBB candidate to be announced after the party’s supreme council meeting on Saturday morning or later in the afternoon after the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council meeting.
Adenan defeated PKR candidate Jazolkipli Numan in the state election in May last year. He drew 6,360 votes against Jozolfipli’s 468 votes, giving him a majority of 5,892 votes.