CM name 10 from SUPP

CM name 10 from SUPP

KUCHING:  Ten from the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) were named by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Adenan Satem as Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates for the coming state election.

Party president Senator Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian was named as the BN candidate for Batu Kawah. He stood in Pending and lost in the last state election. The others are Peter Pau (N9 Padungan), Milton Foo (N10 Pending ), Sii Hua Tong ( N11 Batu Lintang), Wilfred Yap (N12 Kota Sentosa), Lo Khere Chiang (N13 Batu Kitang),  Datuk Francis Harden Hollis (N32 Simanggang), Chieng Boon Toon (N51 Bukit Assek), Dato Sebastian Ting (N73 Piasau) and Datuk Lee Kim Shin (N75 Senadin).

Lo Khere Chiang (N13 Batu Kitang),

Except for Chieng and Harden, the rest were present at the Chief Minister’s office when their names were announced.

On 19 March, Adenan Satem announced in Sibu that a direct candidate will be fielded in both Bawang Assan and Dudong seats while N54 Pelawan and N51 Bukit Assek belonged to SUPP.

On 23 March, Adenan said N73 Piasau and N74 Pujut belong to SUPP.  Recently, he named Dr Jerip Susil as BN direct candidate for N19 Mambong (formery Bengoh).

The seats that originally belonged to SUPP but still pending are N1 Opar, N33 Engkilili, N45 Repok, N46 Meradong, N51 Bukit Assek, N54 Pelawan, N68 Tanjung Batu (formerly Kidurong) and N74 Pujut.

The seats that are yet to be announced of their candidates are hotly being claimed by SUPP and United People’s Party (UPP). 

In the last state election, SUPP contested 19 seats and won only a handful, namely, Opar, Bengoh, Bawang Assan, Senadin and Simanggang.  Engkilili was won by Independent candidate Dr Johnnicol Rayong who later joined SUPP.

Adenan yesterday said there were some SUPP seats yet to be announced and he would do so from time to time.

He said that due ro intense lobbying for seats, he would announce party by party, and assured the announcement of the names of other candidates would be complete one week before the nomination day. 

He also believed SUPP and UPP would come to a consensus before the nomination day.

Adenan said he had announced most of the PBB 40 seats and that of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

Earlier on he announced Batu Kawa for himself and said it was all a joke before announcing Dr. Sim’s name.

UPP is the breakaway party from SUPP, formed by Dato’ Sri Wong Soon Koh, Dr Jerip and Ranum Mina. They were later joined by Dr Rayong.

Due to the intense lobbying of the four parties, Adenan then decided to form his own “Team Adenan” of which they be direct BN candidates using the Barisan Nasional (BN) symbol to prevent three corner fights.

According to Adenan, the staggered announcement of candidates was due ‘intense lobbying’ by those who wanted to use the BN symbol to contest.

He said the BN symbol was a popular symbol and people knew that they had a good chance of winning by using BN symbol.

“You  don’t hear people fighting for other symbols. That is why they (are) dying for the BN symbol,” he said.

He also said that besides their popularity, the candidates named were also vetted by authorities such as the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

    YOU’RE IN MY TEAM … Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem (fifth right), assisted by Abdullah Saidol (third left) and Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi (fith left), holding high the hands of SUPP candidates he has named for the state election. Seen (from left) are Lo Khere Chiang, Sih Hua Tong, Dato’ Sebastian Ting, Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Milton Foo, Peter Pau and Wilfred Yap. PHOTO: RAMDI SUBARI

Sarawak Tribune

Thursday 07-Apr-2016