KUCHING, April 6 (Bernama) -- Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem today announced the names of 10 candidates from Barisan Nasional (BN) component party Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) for the upcoming 11th Sarawak state election.
The 10 are Peter Pau (Padungan), Milton Foo Tiang Wee (Pending), Sih Hua Tong (Batu Lintang), Wilfred Yap Yau Shin (Kota Sentosa), Lo Khere Chiang (Batu Kitang), Datuk Dr Sim Khui Hian (Batu Kawa), Datuk Francis Harden (Simanggang), Chieng Buong Toon (Bukit Assek), Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew (Piasau) and Senadin incumbent, Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
However, Adenan, who is also Sarawak BN chairman, said the list of candidates for SUPP was not complete yet.
"I will from time to time disclose the names of the other candidates. All will be done one week before nomination day," he told a media conference here, today.
SUPP, which lost 13 out of the 19 seats it contested in the last state election, is now under close scrutiny, and people will look at how Adenan will divide the Chinese-majority seats between SUPP and another 'BN-friendly' party, the United People's Party (UPP).
Seats previously contested by SUPP but whose candidates have yet to be named by Adenan include Opar, Engkelili, Bawang Assan, Dudong, Pelawan, Pujut, Meradong, Repok and Kidurong.
Adenan said he would reveal the candidate for the Repok constituency this week.
Yesterday, Adenan had announced that Sarawak Public Health Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Jerip Susil of UPP would contest the Mambong seat, formerly known as Bengoh, as a BN direct candidate, and Adenan was also quoted as saying that 'BN direct candidates' would be contesting in the Bawang Assan and Dudong seats.
When asked whether the SUPP seats whose candidates were yet to be announced would be contested by those from UPP, Adenan said: "You can assume anything you want, but wait till the day I announce it."
On whether SUPP and UPP were now competing for seats, Adenan said an agreement had been "almost reached".
"There will be a consensus reached one week before nomination day. You (reporters) don't have to worry. Let me worry about that," he said.
Adenan said the staggered announcement of candidates this time was due 'intense lobbying' by those who wanted to use the BN symbol to contest.
"(The) BN symbol is a popular symbol. I don't hear people fighting for using other symbols including the opposition. They know they will stand a good chance of winning by using the BN symbol. That is why they (are) dying for it," he said.
Meanwhile, Adenan said the popularity of candidates was among the main factors taken into account, in addition to being vetted by authorities such as the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Sarawak BN will contest in 82 state seats in the 11th state election, and up to now, Adenan has announced almost all the 40 candidates from his own party - Parti Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) - and only a few have yet to be finalised.
Meanwhile, SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said that he was optimistic that Adenan would allocate more seats for the party to contest in the election.
"The chief minister said (at the press conference) that he will make progressive announcements and there will be more add ons," he said when asked by reporters if he was happy with the announcement.
To another question, Sim, who took over the party's leadership last year, said he was also confident of the winning chances of the party's candidates in the election.
"We hope every seat we can win, we will work very hard to win every seat, otherwise what is the point of standing, no point to stand to lose," he added.
He said that the party was originally allocated 19 seats in the previous elections, and should be allocated another one more seat following the creation of another eleven new seats.
Meanwhile, Lo Khere Chiang, 56, the candidate for newly created seat Batu Kitang, said he will work harder to win the seat for BN.
"I am going to work hard to ensure the rakyat (people) receive the message and will support me. I am very confident that the people will support SUPP and BN in Batu Kitang," he said.
In SIBU, SUPP Bukit Assek chairman Chieng Buong Toon vowed the recapture the the Bukit Assek seat for the BN.
He contested in Bukit Assek in the last state election against former Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng and an independent candidate Hii Tiong Huat.
Wong secured 13,527 votes to win with a majority of 8,827 votes against Chieng (4,700 votes) and Hii (180 votes).
The seat was left vacant after Wong passed away on June 21, 2014 at the Rejang Medical Centre here after a year-and-a-half struggle with brain cancer.
Bernama
April 6 2016
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