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| The five candidates for Batu Kitang: Lo Khere Chiang ( yellow shirt) |
Kuching: It is an unexpected five-cornered
fight in new seat Batu Kitang as many had expected it to be a straight fight
between Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Lo Khere
Chiang and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Voon Shiak Ni.
Besides Lo and Voon to contest in the seat,
the other three candidates are Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Abdul Aziz Isa,
Sulaiman Kadir (independent) and Dato’ Sri Othman bin Bojeng (independent).
Both Lo and Voon went to the nomination
centre yesterday. Lo with his proposer Tan Joo Phoi and seconder Lim Lian Kee.
Voon’s proposer was Narawi Palayan Miniandi and seconder Lee Tat Sin.
When Sulaiman Kadir walked in with his proposer
Tenu Kipli and seconder Haron Sri, no one batted an eyelid until DAP’s Abdul Aziz Isa walked in at about 9.05am, an
unpleasant surprise to Voon. Abdul Aziz’s proposer was Ting Kee Kai and
seconder Lim Pai Lin.
About half an hour later, Dato’ Sri Othman
bin Bojeng came hurriedly in with his proposer Zamahari bin Kopon and seconder
Jolhi bin July.
DAP had claimed Batu Kitang to be their
winnable seat due to a number of supporters being transferred there.
Aziz had earlier on stayed in a car waiting
for words from his superior to go into the nomination centre once it is
confirmed that PKR candidates also contested in DAP announced seats.
Aziz, who was supposed to contest in
Stakan, said he was asked to fill in his forms for Batu Kitang after midnight.
He said he is standing in Batu Kitang due to PKR not honouring their words in
fielding of candidates.
Aged 26, the youngest of the five
candidates, Aziz is a UNIMAS graduate of social science, politics and
government studies. He said he was glad to be back to contest in Batu Kitang as
he has been working on the ground there for the past one year.
Meanwhile, Voon, 46, who tried to stay calm said there is more to
the story and she did not want to wash dirty linen in public.
She said it is a democratic world and she
was chosen by her party to stand in Batu Kitang.
“Whatever it is, I will continue to work as
usual and do my best,” she added.
Lo, meanwhile, expressed surprise that the seat is hotly
contested and said he is not letting his guard down.
“I will continue to work hard for the Batu Kitang people,” he added,
saying he enjoyed his hard work and believed that he could do a lot for the
people through the Barisan Nasional.
Candidate Dato’ Sri Othman Bojeng, 59, refused to answer many questions
posed by the media. He said he is pro BN and supports the Chief Minister and
Prime Minister. When asked why he wanted to ‘disturb’ the BN candidate chosen
by the Chief Minister, he said he is not happy with the candidate.
Sulaiman Kadir, 46, said there is a need for change after over 50 years
of independence. Claiming to be a state land activist, Sulaiman said he once
worked in Land and Survey and opted for early retirement.
Voon’s proposer Narawi was cleared of any
wrong doing.
Returning officer at the Padawan Municipal
council, Elizabeth Law announced the names of the five candidates at about
noon.
Batu Kitang, which has 60 per cent Chinese residents, has a total of 17,494
registered voters.
Sarawak Tribune
Date Posted : Tuesday 26-Apr-2016
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