Sarawak’s PRS still reeling from James Masing’s death, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), a component of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition, is still reeling from the death of its then president, James Jemut Masing, two years ago, says a political analyst.

Academy of Sciences Malaysia fellow Jayum Jawan said the void in decisive leadership left by Masing has yet to be filled, and there is no other leader in PRS who has the same charisma or influence as Masing to drive the party forward.

Jayum said that while Joseph Salang Gandum is party president, his defeat to Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s Larry Sng in the contest for the Julau parliamentary seat in 2022 was a massive blow, Dayak Daily reported.

It was Salang’s second election loss to Sng. He had been the Julau MP from 1999 to 2018, before he lost the PRS stronghold to Sng, who was an independent candidate in the 14th general election.

“His grip over the party and its leadership is weak. He does not have a direct link to the Sarawak and federal governments.

“On top of that, his subordinates are holding (ministerial) positions at both the state and federal levels, posts normally held by top leaders,” Jayum said.

PRS is set to hold its triennial delegates conference next year, where delegates will vote on the party’s leadership.

The party’s Supreme Council had appointed Salang as its president following the death of Masing. He had been Masing’s deputy before that.

Masing was 72 when he died on Oct 31, 2023. He was PRS’s founding president and a Sarawak deputy chief minister, and had served as the Baleh assemblyman from 1983 until his death.

Jayum said other senior PRS leaders had also lost in elections but were granted senatorships, unlike Salang, adding that this reflected on how he was viewed within the ruling GPS.

When it comes to potential party presidents, he said, there were current vice-presidents like national unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang, minister in the Sarawak premier’s department John Sikie Tayai, and deputy digital minister Wilson Ugak Kumbong, among others.

However, he said, none of them were outstanding, pointing to their age and lack of charisma to lead well.

“The Dayak and Iban communities of yesteryear selected their leaders through open contests, choosing the best among the best.

“This tradition of democratic selection is something PRS must revisit if it is to find a leader who can move the party beyond Masing’s era,” he said.