PETALING JAYA: John Sikie Tayai was elected the new leader of Parti Rakyat Sarawak, becoming the first party president to be directly elected to the post.
Party veteran Sikie, who is Kakus assemblyman, fended off a strong challenge from Pelagus assemblyman Wilson Nyabong Ijang, obtaining 186 votes to 154, The Borneo Post reported.
Sikie, a state minister in the premier’s department, is the first PRS leader to become president in a contested election. He succeeds Joseph Salang Gandum, who declared in August that he would not seek re-election.