KUCHING: With about a week till polling day, leaders from Opposition parties have their own message to the masses.

       Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen has called on locals not to “waste” their votes on Opposition parties other than Pakatan Harapan.

       But Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) secretary general George Lo begged to differ, saying that if people were to back Pakatan, then the political landscape would not change much, as Pakatan had been in Sarawak for decades.

       Yet, both sides would not rule out working together after the election.

       In an interview, Lo said: “If the people in Sarawak were to look at Pakatan as an Opposition, then nothing will change.”

       However, Lo did not dismiss the possibility of cooperating with Sarawak Pakatan once the state election concludes on Dec 18.

       Lo also regarded PSB as the only alternative to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

       At a press conference yesterday, Chong said despite the many local-based Opposition parties joining the fray this time, he urged locals to vote for Pakatan, as its component parties PKR, DAP and Amanah were well-established.

       “A vote for other Opposition parties will be a waste,” he said.

       Aside from Pakatan’s component parties, other Opposition parties include PSB, Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK).

       Asked if Sarawak Pakatan was willing to cooperate with PSB, Chong said: “Politics is the art of possibilities.”

       Pakatan is contesting 62 seats in the state election, with PKR eyeing 28 seats, DAP 26 and Amanah eight.

       PSB was formerly GPS-friendly but became an independent Opposition party in 2019. It is contesting 70 out of 82 state seats.