Ngemah state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit Demong, 58, who has been partyless since withdrawing his support for PKR in October, today joined the newly formed Penang-based Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM).

NONEHe was immediately named as the Sarawak head of the new party which was formed just four months ago.

The announcement was made this morning at a press conference by PCM's president Tang Weng Chew.

PCM claims to be neutral although it is believed some BN leaders are backing it.

Adit, who was also present, said he will not disappoint Sarawakians by joining the new party.

"After watching PKR, I don't think they can take over Sarawak (in the next state elections. I hope we (PCM) can serve the people of Sarawak better," he said.

Adit is a four-term Ngemah state assemblyperson, three of which were on BN ticket when he was a vice-president of the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak(PBDS), a Dayak majority state BN component party which was de-registered due to internal leadership crisis.

NONEHe had joined PKR with much fanfare at the end of 2008 but left the party last October, claiming that he was neither pro-BN nor pro-opposition but merely "pro-issues".

"I look at issues as they come. If I agree with the issue I will support it and if I don't then I will not support it. That's why I brought up the issue of some people who suddenly find themselves not bumiputera. A lot of people are affected by that," he had told reporters last month.

There had been much speculation that he would be forming his own party in Sarawak.

"I believe that a multiracial party has a big selling point in Sarawak as there are so many ethnic communities of different racial backgrounds." Adit said today, adding that this was one of the reasons why he joined PCM.

He also said that if a political party was race-based, it will restrict its playing field and is also not in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

PCM due to launch in Sarawak

Adit is also joined by one of his comrades Laurence Dick Sekalai, a retired teacher who was appointed today as the Sarawak deputy state chairperson of PCM.

NONESekalai (left in picture), who was a PKR member, also announced his resignation from PKR and from the posts that he currently holds.

Party president Tang said that they invited Adit to join PCM due to his experience as a politician and his knowledge of Sarawak.

"There will also be an official launch of PCM in Sarawak on Jan 2 next year," he continued.

Party treasurer Lim Kim Chu disclosed that PCM was is in discussion with several other politicians and that the public should expect other parliamentarians to join them.

"There seems to be a lot of internal conflicts within other parties and if they cannot be happy in their party, we could work together in PCM," he said.

At the press conference, PCM denied that they were aligned to any political party and prefer to call themselves independent.

However, committee members cite the 1Malaysia concept more than once and claimed that the party will ‘do the right thing' and find ways to implement this concept.

"We are now still very small, and we are open to suggestions," he added.

PCM said that the party has approximately 4,000 to 5,000 supporters throughout Penang, Selangor, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.