KUCHING: Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan (pic) has been identified as a potential successor to Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg should a leadership transition take place, according to political analysts.
Academy of Sciences Malaysia political analyst Jayum Jawan told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that Awang Tengah, a Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, could benefit from the party’s established leadership succession tradition.
“If party tradition is to be followed, the leading candidate would have to be Awang Tengah,” Jayum was quoted as saying, referring to the tradition of deputy presidents from PBB’s Bumiputera wing succeeding to the party presidency.
Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Awang Pawi said any succession would ultimately depend on internal PBB consensus, GPS unity, majority support and the transition process shaped by Abang Johari himself.
Abang Johari, who has led Sarawak since January 2017, recently indicated at a PBB event that he might no longer serve as Premier after the next state election, according to FMT.
