MUKAH: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg stressed that his decision to make the upcoming State Election his last was not due to pressure, but because of age.

He said the matter had been explained when he attended the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Special Convention in Miri recently.

According to him, advancing age is something natural that must be accepted, and the state's leadership must be continued by a team that has been trained.

"Day by day, we get older. If it could be reversed, there would be no problem, but it cannot be reversed. So, we have to accept it as something natural.

"To lead the state, we must have a team. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan, Datuk Amar Uggah and the others and I have been trained. We have developed the state as a team, and we must have a team again," he told reporters after officiating the Sarawakku Sayang Programme for Mukah Division 2026 on Saturday.

Asked whether he could consider continuing to lead after 2030, Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari said the decision was based on age.

"No. It depends on age. Do you know how old I am? In 2030, 80 years old.

"Well, at that age, if I am still steady," he added.

Meanwhile, PBB Wanita Chief and Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, in her welcoming speech, appealed for the Sarawak Premier to reconsider the decision.

She said Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari's leadership is still needed to continue the state's development agenda, particularly in strengthening the economy, community well-being and education.

For the record, Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari has been Sarawak Chief Minister since 2017 and Sarawak Premier since 2022 until now.

He entered politics in 1977 and became a State Assemblyman after winning the Satok by-election in 1981. -UKASnews

Translator: Uilson Ng