PETALING JAYA: Abdul Aziz Isa Marindo has quit Sarawak DAP and is now seeking to join Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), lynchpin of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
Aziz, who was fielded by DAP to contest for the Batu Kitang state seat in 2016 and 2021, told FMT he relinquished his party membership on Jan 28, after 11-and-a-half years with the party.
Once seen as a firebrand due to his strong-worded and fervent speeches during the 2016 state election campaign, the 36-year-old’s decision to leave DAP follows a three-year break from politics after his 2021 election loss.
He has since submitted a formal application to join PBB, which is led by Abang Johari Openg.
Aziz said he had joined DAP in August 2013 driven by “the idealism of youth”, believing that socialism was among the key issues plaguing the nation, whether political, economic or social.
“After contesting twice in the Sarawak state election and spending the last four years in the corporate sector, I had a revelation – the solutions don’t lie in abstract ideology but in pragmatic governance,” he said.
He said the corporate world exposed him to the realities of how foreign investments, trade, and financial technology, among others, were the real drivers of progress.
“The more I studied the policies of thriving economies, the clearer it became: conservatism, not socialism, provides the stability and prosperity that Sarawak needs.
“When I returned to Kuching, I witnessed the remarkable transformation under Abang Johari’s leadership – bold infrastructural developments, digital economy initiatives, and a clear vision for Sarawak’s future.
“It was a stark contrast to the rhetoric I had once believed in, and I thought to myself, ‘Why argue against success?’”
The former aide to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen said PBB was the only party that aligned with “regionalist conservatism” and that Sarawak should chart its own course without federal overreach.
He said DAP was a globalist socialist party, and that it often overlooked the aspirations of Sarawakians, which were unique.
In 2016, Aziz was defeated in the race for the Batu Kitang seat by Sarawak United People’s Party’s Lo Khere Chiang, who won with a 1,840-vote majority.
Lo successfully defended his state seat in 2021, after Aziz again lost to the SUPP man, who recorded a stronger majority of 4,163 votes.
