PKR's strongman Domique Ng has quit the party after being overlooked as a candidate and may contest as independent to retain his Padungan seat, which was given to DAP.
SIBU: Opposition’s hopes of a straight fight in Bawang Assan and Bukit Assek state constituencies may not materialise as two independents have also shown an interest in contesting these seats.
Local social activist Hii Tiong Huat has expressed interest in contesting the Bukit Assek seat facing Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) candidate Chieng Buong Toon and incumbent DAP’s Wong Ho Leng.
While PKR’s Robert Lim has allegedly said that he will contest in Bawang Assan taking on DAP’s Alice Lau and SUPP’s Wong Soon Koh.
Lim said yesterday that he was compelled to contest by PKR’s more than 1,000 members in Bawang Assan.
“I will contest again as an independent…but I will have to decide whether it will be in Bawang Assan or Bukit Assek.
“I have been told that Wong has not returned to the constituency and that his voters are unhappy with him,” said Lim adding that he was still evaluating the political situation.
Hii meanwhile is focussed on bringing Wong down. He is reported to have said that he ‘will follow’ Wong wherever he contests.
Little however is known of Hii’s pursuit of Wong.
Nomination for Sarawak 10th state election is tomorrow.
Ng goes independent
Sibu is seen as a hotbed for DAP who is poised to battle it out in 15 seats in the state.
PKR has also declared its intention to contest in 48 constituencies.
In 27 of these constituencies, PKR is expected to be in a three-cornered fight with Sarawak Nasional Party (Snap) and Barisan Nasional.
In Kuching meanwhile, it has emerged that bitter and angry Padungan incumbent Domique Ng has quit PKR and will contest as an independent after his party failed to name him as a candidate in the April 16 election.
Ng wrested the seat, in 2006, from SUPP’s Chan Seng Khai by a 1,417-vote majority. This time around, PKR has given the seat to DAP. Padungan was the sole seat which PKR won in 2006.
When he heard that PKR had swapped the seat with DAP, a puzzled Ng’s immediate reaction was: “The DAP has never won the seat in any state elections…only PKR did.”
PKR might also have another unhappy candidate in the form of Suriati Abdullah, slated to contest against Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in Balingian. However today, Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS) revealed that it wanted ex-PBB leader and the CM’s second cousin Salleh Jafaruddin to take on Taib in a straight fight. MoCS claimed that it has sought the approval of PKR for the straight fight.
‘I will haunt you’
In Miri meanwhile SUPP president George Chan has slammed the opposition whom he claimed wanted to destroy the unity in the state.
Without mincing his words, Chan said Sarawakians want to live in harmony and peace.
“I don’t want anyone to come and destroy this. I will come back from my grave and haunt those fellows who do this.
“I was born, schooled and worked in Miri..I am pasionate about Miri..I will love it until the day I die..
On whether Miri will fall to DAP hands, Chan said: “This is Miri ..it is not Kuching. Kuching is not Miri..”
“In Miri we are all united and all of us are working as a team…I am sure people here will realise that we don’t work for ourselves but for Miri, ” he said.
In the 2006 state election, Chan who won the Piasau seat, defeating PKR candidate Ngu Hee Hieng by 6,573 votes.
This time round he is squaring off with DAP’s Ling Sie Kiong. Ling is among DAP’s seven new faces poised to tear down BN strongholds in Sarawak.
Chan, who is seen as an extension of Chief Minister Taib’s destructive policies, has openly chastised DAP for their potshots at him and SUPP.
But DAP secetary Chong Chieng Jen has simply dismissed Chan’s claims.
“It’s nothing personal…we want to bring down Barisan Nasional and Taib. SUPP happens to be part of Barisan Nasional,” he said.
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