SUPP to nominate 3 new faces, 3 defeated candidates in Kuching?

SUPP to nominate 3 new faces, 3 defeated candidates in Kuching?

KUCHING: Will SUPP nominate three new faces and three defeated candidates for the five urban state seats traditionally allocated to it and a newly-proposed state seat in the southern zone, which is likely to be allotted to the party?

The five seats are Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa and Batu Kawah while the new seat it expects to get is Batu Kitang.

According to a source familiar with SUPP affairs, the following candidates have the edge to stand in the next state election: Peter Pui for Padungan, Milton Foo (Pending), Sih Hua Tong (Batu Lintang), Lo Khere Chiang (Kota Sentosa), Tan Joo Phoi (Batu Kawah) and Senator Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian (Batu Kitang).

Of these names, Pui, Foo and Lo will make their debut into the electoral battle if they are endorsed by Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) as candidates.

Sih, Tan and Dr Sim were all defeated by the opposition during the 2011 state election.

While Sih and Tan are believed to be contesting in the same seats as they did the last state polls, Dr Sim is said to be eyeing the new seat, which is widely considered as a white area.

Dr Sim, who is SUPP president, is also leading the party’s Pending branch.

Traditionally, the party nominates a candidate who hails from the branch or sub-branches in a particular constituency to contest the seat.

The source asserted that the party would support only Dr Sim as a candidate for Batu Kitang, in the hope that the latter would win the election and later on be appointed as a deputy chief minister (DCM).

“Batu Kitang seems to be a hope for SUPP to see its president being appointed as DCM once again.”
One of the DCM posts in the Sarawak cabinet has been traditionally held by SUPP president.

It was not vacant until former party president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan lost Piasau to DAP in the last state election.

In Padungan, Pui, who is a vice- chairman of Kuching branch, has been politically active.

Instead of the branch chairperson Datuk Lily Yong, he was the top leader seen at the launch of the branch’s ‘Zero GST Signature Campaign’ recently.

Pui, a political science graduate, used to be a board member of Kuching North City Commission (DBKU).

For Pending, it is almost certain that Foo, SUPP Youth secretary for Pending branch, will be named the candidate despite recent news reports that the branch had in mind three names; the other two being Dr Sim and Tan Kai.

Early this month, Foo confirmed with the local media that he was one of the potential candidates for Pending.

The 38-year-old lawyer has been representing Dr Sim to launch several local events besides visiting places including Sungai Apong, Pending Heights, Bintawa, Kenyalang Park and Kali Garden.

SUPP Batu Lintang is deemed to be a little behind in terms of grooming young leaders.

Because of this, Sih, the branch chairman, is seen as a key figure and will most probably stand in the next election again.

Lo, who is SUPP Kota Sentosa chairman and Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman, was already tipped to be a potential candidate to wrest Kota Sentosa from the opposition in 2011.

However, former branch chairman Datuk Alfred Yap was nominated, who was then defeated by DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen for a second time.

This time around, the source said Lo, who had been active in community services given his MPP chairmanship, would be entrusted with regaining Kota Sentosa.

In 2011, Joo Phoi lost Batu Kawah to DAP’s Christina Chiew by a slim majority of 543 votes.
Hence, Batu Kawah is still considered a grey area to the ruling coalition while the other four are considered black, given the big margin by which it lost – from 4,824 votes in Kota Sentosa to 8,381 votes in Batu Lintang.

The source believed that the opposition would not have much against Joo Phoi, who still maintained a cordial relationship with the local community despite his defeat in the last state election.

“He is the chairman of Batu Kawah branch and he will have the support from the people. Initially, he wanted Batu Kitang because he is the pro tem chairman of the Batu Kitang branch, but later he was put back in Batu Kawah.”

Interestingly, United People’s Party (UPP) has been vocal about nominating its publicity secretary and Batu Kawah chairman Pemanca Liu Thian Leong as a candidate for the Batu Kawah constituency.

October 20, 2015, Tuesday
Borneo Post