KUCHING, March 18: The final decision to field direct Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates for the coming general will be entirely up to the Central Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership.
Responding to reporters’ queries if there will be direct BN candidates fielded in the state for the coming general election, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said although the state BN may propose candidates, the final decision would be up to the Central BN leadership under the helm of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“Unlike the last state election (where BN fielded six direct candidates), there will be no direct candidates as far as I know. Not just confined to Sarawak, but also other states in Malaysia as well including Sabah,” he said, adding that even if candidates from Sarawak have been proposed by him, it was not absolute.
He was answering reporters after officially opening the single lane bridge at Kampung Kudei near Jalan Rubber Barat here this afternoon.
Asked if Saratok incumbent Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, who is now partyless, will be fielded under the BN flag, Abang Johari insisted that there will be no direct BN candidate contesting for the Saratok Parliamentary seat in the coming general election.
Meanwhile, when asked if he knew about the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed between United People’s Party (UPP) and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), which was revealed by UPP Youth Chief Johnical Rayong yesterday, Abang Johari said he knew that both parties have been in negotiations on working together for the coming general election.
As for the details of the proposed MoU, Abang Johari, who is also Sarawak’s BN chairman, said he did not know its contents.
“I can’t comment because I don’t know. They (UPP and SUPP) are working on it and have been talking about collaboration,” he said. — DayakDaily
