Sarawak BN wants clean sweep for louder voice in Parliament
KUCHING, May 3 (Bernama) -- Judging by recent developments halfway towards polling day, Barisan Nasional's 'safe deposit', Sarawak, appears to reinforce the confidence placed on it and would likely win big in the 14th general election (GE14).
However, the state is aiming to score beyond big, that is, a clean sweep of the 31 parliamentary seats.
Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Tun Openg keeps harping loud and clear that he wanted a big mandate which he said was necessary for Sarawak to have a resounding voice to get its demands audibly heard by the federal leadership. According to him, it was all for the sake of the 'Land of the hornbills' and its people.
BN has been trying to drive the point home in its election campaign. Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian has also taken it upon himself to stress repeatedly the same message particularly to Chinese voters. They must unite, he said, and give a big mandate to the chief minister in his mission for the people.
In GE13, Sarawak BN won 25 seats, of which 14 were contributed by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), six, by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), four, by Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and one, by SUPP. The DAP won five seats and PkR, one.
SUPP is a major player in BN's bid to regain the support of the Chinese community and wrest back the parliamentary seats held by DAP.
The GE14 mood in Sarawak is not as upbeat as it was during the State Election in 2016 in which 82 state seats were contested.
Nevertheless, there is still the poster war to effect a festive-like atmosphere as how it was during the state election although the effect is more felt in the urban areas where the contest is more intense and the population more dense.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, and Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem who had served as federal ministers before the dissolution of parliament are expected to retain their respective parliamentary seats hands down.
Fadillah is defending Petra Jaya; Rohani, Batang Lupar; Nancy Shukri, Batang Sadong; Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Santubong; and Richard Riot, Serian.
However, they are not resting on their laurels and are actively campaigning for the coalition, attending at least five to six events daily.
For the local media, the arrangement is not just keeping them on their toes, it is putting them in a quandary as to which events to cover, according to priority.
-- BERNAMA
