By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, July 23: Kapit MP Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi has not ruled out the possibility of him contesting in the coming state election which is due in 2021.
“I am a team player and I listen to the leaders of our party. But should I be asked to stand, it’s entirely up to the leaders too,” Nanta told DayakDaily here today.
Speculations have been rife that Nanta, who was a former Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development, would be picked to contest in the Iban-majority seat of Bukit Goram in Kapit, one of three state seats which falls under his current Kapit Parliamentary seat. The other two are Pelagus and Katibas. However, Pelagus is traditionally allocated to Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) to contest while Katibas is allocated to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
Prior to the last state election, Nanta was speculated to make a comeback to state politics but he preferred to stay put in Putrajaya. The Bukit Goram seat was subsequently contested by new face Jefferson Jamit, who won the seat for PBB.
“But actually, I’m happy with where I’m now and since I have been tasked to assist with the rural development,” he said.
Nanta, who is also secretary-general of both PBB and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has been appointed as a Special Advisor in the Chief Minister’s Office since January this year.
Meanwhile, he said Jamit has done a good job and has been active on the ground.
“He (Jamit) is a team player and he has done a good job as a ‘wakil rakyat’ (elected representative).
“He is very popular amongst the people in Bukit Goram because he is easily approachable and very much people-oriented. He is also known to be proactive in the debates and in the question-and-answer sessions in the Dewan Undangan Negeri,” said Nanta.
Another seat where Nanta could be fielded in is Katibas where he was strongly backed by voters in the past general election.
With experience and seniority in PBB, he could well be a formidable candidate for Katibas to replace incumbent Datuk Ambrose Blikau who has held the seat for eight terms since 1979. — DayakDaily
