By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Nov 26: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak is keeping their eight remaining cards close to their chest until the very last minute before revealing them.
Today, its chairman Chong Chieng Jen only announced 18 seats in which they will contest during the 12th Sarawak Election.
Speaking at a press conference after handing over the credential letter ‘watikah’ to the candidates, Chong had earlier disclosed DAP Sarawak will contest in 26 seats statewide.
There are eight more which DAP has yet to announce.
Six are in Kuching area, namely Pending, Padungan, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawah, Batu Kitang and Stakan; while another two are Dudong and Bawang Assan in Sibu area.
“At this moment, we will not announce Kuching area because of strategic reasons. We will see who are the candidates which Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) will field. From there, we will adjust accordingly because our candidates are interchageable, depending on who are our opponents.
“As such, I will hold the announcement until Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) or SUPP announce theirs,” Chong said.
Meanwhile, he did not deny the possibility of him switching from Kota Sentosa to Batu Kawah.
“Am I moving to Batu Kawah? There is a possibility,” he coyly said when asked by reporters.
As for Dudong and Bawang Assan, the two seats are currently being held by Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s (PSB) incumbents.
Chong acknowledged that previously, there were negotiations between DAP Sarawak and PSB but it was not successful.
“Of course we know that these two seats are their incumbents. Therefore, to show our sincerity, we are willing to compromise. Our door to negotiate is still open.
“We must cooperate, work closely together to fight GPS and increase the chances of winning,” he asserted. — DayakDaily
