By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Dec 17: With less than 24 hours left to campaign before polling day tomorrow, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak has appealed to voters not to give Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) a clean sweep and plunge Sarawak into the ‘Dark Age’ again.
DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said this would be a tough election with a high chance of low voter turnout, public anxiety over Covid-19, standard operating procedures (SOPs), annual rainy season, and other factors that would hamper their chances.
He added that voters now have a sense of despair and desolation because not much change occurred in the 22 months when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was the government. However, DAP had kept repeating that the PH government was meant to last for five years until the ‘Sheraton Move’ conspiracy undemocratically toppled it.
As DAP’s target in this election is to deny GPS a two-thirds majority in the State Assembly, Chong said, “We want to provide a stronger check and balance in the State Assembly and to pave the way for a change in the State government in future elections.
“We are a realistic part, and we fight on principles and for good governance,” Chong told a press conference today.
He also accused local Opposition Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) of its true agenda in fighting against GPS to bring change in Sarawak or just wanting to win seats and then hop or return to GPS as part of the government.
Chong gave two examples of two leaders from PSB who jumped to GPS before polling day, naming former presidential council member Datuk Tiong Thai King and Mambong incumbent Datuk Dr Jerip Susil.
“So it is certain that PSB representatives will switch and jump to GPS once elected because they do not have enough numbers to form the government. After all, most of them came from GPS,” Chong added.
Meanwhile, Chong will be contesting for the N9 Padungan seat, which is a DAP stronghold against Kuching South City Council mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng (GPS-SUPP), Raymond Thong (PBK), and Lina Soo (Aspirasi) in a four-cornered fight.
SUPP first lost the seat to Dominique Ng (PKR) in the 2006 Sarawak election.
The incumbent, Wong King Wei, stood under the DAP ticket and won the seat in 2011 with a whopping 11,957 votes against Sim Kiang Chiok (4,073) from Barisan National (BN) and Ng (439) who stood as an Independent candidate.
Wong was re-elected in 2016 after garnering 9,332 votes against Pau Kiu Sung (5,062) from BN and Teo Kuang Kim (STAR), who only managed 116 votes.
However, Wong announced his resignation from DAP on July 26, 2020, and has since remained an Independent. — DayakDaily
