KUCHING: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian is unperturbed by rumours of a plot to get rid of him.
“I’ve heard about the rumour and am aware there was a secret meeting at the house of Hafsah Harun (Sarawak PKR adviser).
“Apparently, the meeting was to discuss matters connected with the party’s election to be held in November.
“We have informed Kuala Lumpur about the secret meeting. We have also briefed deputy president Syed Hussein Ali, who is currently visiting Kuching,” he said.
Bian said that as long as the leadership wanted him to be the leader in Sarawak, he would try his best to strengthen the party and unite the various races in PKR.
“There is no need to topple me and we cannot afford to have internal bickering.
“We have a bigger enemy – Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud,” he said, adding that the party’s preparations for the coming state polls were on target.
He said all grassroots and branch leaders from Lundu to Kapit, Sibu, Miri, Bintulu and Lawas were actively working on the ground.
He said all ground leaders had attended the various seminars and courses organised by the Keadilan Academy to prepare them for the election campaign.
Rumours rife
It was reported on the blogs that on July 13, Hafsah had convened a meeting with deputy chairman Wan Zainal Wan Senusi, another adviser Dominique Ng and state leadership committee member Jimmy Donald.
The meeting was allegedly aimed at initiating a move to get rid of Bian because of his “inefficiency, leadership style and his inability to make the PKR presence felt” among the people.
Bian, who was appointed in December last year, was said to be regularly away and always entrusting PKR day-to-day affairs to his trusted lieutenant.
Asked to confirm the report, Hafsah admitted that there was a meeting, but denied the move was to topple Bian.
“Si ada bah (no such thing). It was only a briefing since I was away. I need to know what the party is doing now in its election preparation,” she said.
Wan Zainal also denied the move to oust Bian but admitted that the meeting was initiated by Hafsah and that she had asked for Ng and Donald to be present.
Meanwhile, sources disclosed that the secret meeting had also agreed to forward a report on Bian’s “inefficiency” to party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and called for his dismissal if PKR is to do well in the coming state election.
As this juncture, it remains unclear as to who would replace Bian in the event that the attempt to oust him is successful.
Hafsah, Wan Zainal and Ng have all held the post before.
Donald, the former Sri Aman MP, is a likely contender. He joined PKR in 2008 following his expulsion from Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
Donald was Larry Sng’s right-hand man in the PRS leadership struggle. Both were expelled from PRS.
Larry Sng, an assistant minister in Taib’s Cabinet, is currently in political wilderness as no local parties have accepted his requests to join them.
There are also rumours that Donald is working in cahoots with Sng Chee Hua (Larry Sng’s father) to prepare for Larry to join PKR in the event that he is not accepted back in the BN.
Bian, when contacted, said he was aware of rumours that Sng was trying to push his son Larry into joining PKR.
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