Sarawak: SUPP President - DAP Chairman's straight fight in Stampin grabs public attention
KUCHING, April 28 (Bernama) -- By late noon today when the candidates contesting in the 31 parliamentary constituencies in the 14th General Election (GE14) has been finalised, the most intense fight that grabs public attention is in the Stampin parliamentary seat.
Stampin will see a straight tussle between Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian and state DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
Both candidates have expressed their confidence in winning the seat, when asked by reporters, with each one having their own advantages but it could tip in favour of anyone of these two political figures.
The DAP wrested the Stampin seat from the DAP in the GE13 but its candidate in this general election on May 9 is the three-term former Bandar Kuching MP.
On the other hand, Dr Sim, a cardiologist by training, wanted to prove that SUPP could still be accepted by the people, especially the Chinese after its image was dented in the GE13, having won only the Serian seat out of the seven seats contested.
Another parliamentary seat that promises to see a fierce clash is Bandar Kuching which was abandoned by Chong and being contested by DAP new face Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (DAP), who is challenged by Kho Teck Wan (BN-SUPP) in a straight fight.
In the GE13, DAP won five seats - Kuching and Stampin in and around the city, and another three in the central region (Sibu, Lanang and Sarikei), which Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Open aimed to recapture aside from Miri which is held by PKR.
Another interesting clash involving the SUPP is in the Sibu parliamentary seat which sees the BN fielding the son of United People's Party (UPP) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, Datuk Wong Kee Yew @ Andrew Wong, contesting on a SUPP ticket.
UPP is a splinter party of SUPP set up in 2014 and the ties between SUPP and the BN friendly party is often the focus of public attention as UPP wielded a strong influence in the central region of Sarawak but not accepted as a BN component because its acceptance requires the consensus of all component parties.
Sarawak does not face many issues in the allocation of seats among the BN component parties as it adhered to the status quo with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) contesting in 14 parliamentary seats, SUPP (seven), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) (six) and Progressive Democratic Party (four).
In the PBB camp, all the federal ministers comprising Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (Petra Jaya), Women, Family and Community Development Ministry Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim (Batang Lupar), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (Batang Sadong), and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Santubong), will defend their respective parliamentary seats.
In the SUPP camp, its deputy president Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem, who is also Human Resources Minister, is defending the Serian parliamentary seat for the seventh term in GE14 while another minister from PRS, Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun was dropped after he was sacked as party deputy president six days before the nomination day.
Many observers and reporters were awaiting the possibility of him contesting the Selangau parliamentary seat as an independent candidate, but when the nomination process ended, the constituency will see a straight fight between new face Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol, the first woman candidate being fielded by PRS, who is expected to face a strong challenge from Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian.
For another Sarawak BN component party, Progressive Progressive Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing is happy that its party retained the four allocated seats.
The party, which was formerly known as the Sarawak Democratic Democratic Party (SPDP), has previously suffered an internal crisis which saw its president at that time, Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom quitting the party and forming the Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras).
Mawan then had to contest as a 'partyless' candidate in the state election in 2016 as a prerequisite to contest on a BN ticket and he had previously publicly expressed his interest to contest in Saratok again in the GE14 but Abang Johari's decision saw PDP maintaining its four allocated seats.
Another interest development is in the Julau parliamentary seat, the sole seat in which the DAP, PKR and Amanah pact did not field any candidates in order to see a straight fight between Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, the three-time incumbent and an Independent, Larry Sng Wei Shien.
The opposition pact is said to have not fielded their candidates in the seat because it considered Larry Sng, who was a two-term Pelagus assemblyman who stood on the BN ticket, has his own strength to defeat Salang.
-- BERNAMA
