He said the party had “more than enough” capable members in the state seats of Serumbu, Mambong and Tarat who could challenge for the parliamentary seat at the next general election.

Sagah was commenting on remarks by Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin that he was ready to defend the seat for the ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak and hoped that GPS will give him space and opportunity to defend the seat.

PBB is the mainstay of the GPS coalition, and holds 47 of the coalition’s 76 seats in the state assembly.

Sagah, who is Tarat assemblyman, told New Sarawak Tribune that he hoped Willie would instead give his full support to whoever contested the seat, for the sake of the Bidayuh community.

“We should also stick to our principle of not allowing a party from outside Sarawak to represent us, or for that matter, outside GPS,” he said.

Willie, who is deputy minister for plantation industries and commodities in the federal Cabinet, left PKR following the Sheraton Move in 2020 and later joined Bersatu, Muhyiddin Yassin’s party, and was appointed a deputy minister.