KUCHING, Jan 30: Dudong traditionally belonged to the defunct Sarawak National Party (SNAP), the predecessor of Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) in the 1970s, PDP vice-president and PDP Dudong division chairman Teo Boon Siew said.
As such he said, it was meaningless to argue on the ‘ownership’ of the Dudong seat. Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties should instead work harder to develop the semi-urban constituency located near Sibu Town, on areas which urgently need physical development.
“This seat has always been a highly coveted seat. Going as far back as the 1970s, it had traditionally ‘belonged’ to SNAP. But at the moment, we need to focus on bringing progress here.
“It is a fact that many facilities and infrastructure in Dudong still needs upgrading and improvements. We cannot deny that we need to go to the field and really listen to public opinion.
‘We need to know the actual outstanding issues that need solutions. This is the job right now; not getting mired in internal struggles and politicking about whose seat it is,” Teo said today.
He pointed out that certain political parties and their members often disappeared in between election seasons, and the rakyat often wondered about their actual contributions to society.
“When the time nears the election period, these ‘disappearing’ parties suddenly come out of the woodwork, intending to jostle for and seize any opportunities they can get their hands on,” he said.
Teo was responding to a media question about a certain party’s decision to set up an operations room in Dudong seat, a hotly contested constituency.
“It is imperative today to cement GPS’ reputation as a force for progress and development in Sarawak. We need to implement and fulfil past election promises to better the lives of all Sarawakians and overcome any previous shortcomings.
“This means we must recognise and mitigate our weaknesses accordingly, and focus on improving people’s livelihoods and standard of living, especially in the rural areas. We need to implement infrastructure development and raise rural communities to economic independence. We must take the lead on instituting reforms for a resilient and progressive Sarawak,” he said.
Teo pointed out that instead of blindly competing for seats, GPS component parties should be pragmatic and improve its approach to public service.
“We are only as good as our performance in the field. We can only instil confidence and reassurance in people that we can do this by proving that we are still the best chance for Sarawak in the post-BN period. We need to communicate that we are indeed on track to put Sarawak on greater financial independence and bringing large scale development to the rural communities.
“Our performance as politicians is measured in our achievements as public servants, instead of being mired in instability and unnecessary provocations. We must never take the people and our positions for granted, including making empty promises. The rakyat will always look back and remember and they know who has delivered or not,” Teo concluded.
Last Monday, GPS component party, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong had nominated its chairman Wong Ching Yong as its candidate for the coming state election.
In the last State election, Dudong was won by Datuk Tiong Thai King who had stood as BN-direct candidate. Consequently, after the election, he retuned back to United Peoples Party (UPP) which has since been rebranded as Parti Besatu Sarawak (PSB).—DayakDaily
