By Lian Cheng
TO AVOID unnecessary confusion, misunderstanding and internal bickering, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, who is just as often known by the moniker ‘Kongkalikong’, announced the party’s nominated candidates for Saratok and Mas Gading. To ensure no ambiguity and absolute clarity, only one candidate for each constituency was named, leaving no room for speculation or wishful thinking.
Such straightforward unambiguity is definitely the style of the veteran politician who has won many admirers for shooting straight from the hip at those he holds responsible for certain shortcomings, especially over matters which are of public concern and which he judges need to be highlighted.
PDP has been traditionally entrusted by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) with four seats in parliamentary elections namely Bintulu, Baram, Saratok and Mas Gading. In the 14th General Election (GE14), the party kept Bintulu and Baram, but lost in Saratok and Mas Gading to Parti Rakyat Keadilan and Democratic Action Party (DAP) respectively.
It has been a rough 10-year journey for PDP, since five of its top leaders broke away to form Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) following which, Tiong who was focusing on his business then, had to return to Sarawak to helm the party. PDP was shaky in the first few years but had since stabilising under Tiong’s firm hand. The 2021 Sarawak Election showed a very focussed and confident PDP in handling party matters.
For GE15, from his constant presence in Bintulu, it is obvious that Tiong will be defending the seat despite being the freshly-minted Dudong assemblyman.
Bintulu which is one of the handful of parliamentary seats made up of four State constituencies (Jepak, Tanjong Batu, Kemena and Samalaju) is the fourth largest federal constituency in Sarawak in terms of area size, after Hulu Rajang, Baram and Selangau.
In terms of demographics by race, 60 per cent of its voters are Bumiputera Sarawak (mainly Iban), 29 per cent are Chinese and 11 per cent are Malay, according to the 2018 General Election electoral roll.
Tiong was able to beat his younger opponent from DAP Tony Chiew in GE14 with a 7,022-vote majority, by garnering 12,171 votes, when the wind of reformation was at its zenith. He is expected to make a similar strong showing in GE15.
For Baram constituency which is the second largest parliamentary constituency in Malaysia with an area size of 22,075 sq km, its incumbent Datuk Anyi Ngau will face the same issues as Hulu Rajang incumbent Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong. Worse, due to incessant rains in recent days, some settlements situated in valleys or basins have been submerged under flood waters, with water levels in certain places reaching up to 5 feet high.
Difficult mountain terrain, muddy logging roads, raging rivers and even angry and suffering voters are what await Anyi, if he manages to even reach some of the remotest villages in this wet season during campaigning. The opposition has always been strong here at Baram, led by the resolute Roland Engan of Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Anyi is likely to be looking at another tough fight ahead. He can perhaps draw some comfort from the fact that all three State seats under Baram, namely Marudi, Mulu and Telang Usan, are held GPS.
Pakatan Harapan was at its height in GE14 as it rode the crest of anti-Barisan Nasional (BN) sentiment, with its component party DAP welcomed in Chinese-majority areas and PKR making inroads in not only sub-urban areas but also rural areas.
DAP’s Mordi Bimol stood out among the others, due to his young, clean and outspoken image. He was able to take down one of PDP’s top leaders, Datuk Anthony Nogeh Gumbek in a straight fight in Mas Gading with a majority of 3,024 votes, by garnering 12,771 votes against Nogeh’s 9,747. His win came as a surprise to many then as Mas Gading consists primarily of Bidayuh voters who were seen as faithful supporters of the State BN coalition.
However, word on the street is that Mordi is facing health issues and thus, has been seldom seen in his constituency, and most times, unable to be reached. Regardless, being the best candidate Sarawak DAP has for the seat, he might still be fielded but he will have to face less-than-friendly voters this time, following his “disappearance” over the last five years.
What is more, the flame of Reformasi (Reformation) was doused after the suicidal Sheraton Move which toppled the PH-led federal government. PH has lost the small inroads it made in 2018 in sub-urban and rural areas, as seen in the 2021 Sarawak Election. The golden opportunity for DAP and PKR to strike while the metal is hot has passed. This will no doubt be welcomed news for PDP’s Lidang Disen who is throwing his hat into the ring as the party’s nominated candidate for Mas Gading.
In general, PDP has good chances to secure victory in all its allocated seats, except Saratok. PDP-identified candidate Giendam Jonathan Tait faces a Herculean task in taking down its incumbent Datuk Ali Biju.
During the 2021 Sarawak Election, Ali declared his withdrawal from the race in Krian days after nomination. In the press conference, he openly asked voters not to waste their votes on him. Despite so, he still managed to garner 1,777 votes. The consolation is, Saratok is made up of Kalaka, Krian and Kabong State seats with Bumiputera Sarawak making up 57 per cent of the voters, followed by Malay (36 per cent) and Chinese (6 per cent) based on the 2018 electoral roll.
The fact is that currently, all three State seats are under GPS with Kalaka and Kabong under Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and Krian under PDP. If GPS component parties work side by side, there is a good fighting chance for Jonathan to win Saratok.
With Tiong channeling his energy solely into politics, Sarawakians can expect to see the shrewd, fiery go-getter and his three lieutenants, charging into GE 15. As for the outcome, one cannot really tell, as there are always many unforeseen factors affecting an election. — DayakDaily
