Note: This story has been updated for accuracy.
By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, July 18: As the temperature around the Sarawak state election starts rising, so is the heat among political parties from both sides in unveiling their potential candidates.
The residents of Rh Ali Jampi, Bawang Assan in Sibu has proposed that 35-year-old local businessman, Cr Joshua Ting Fu Ying, be selected as the potential candidate to be nominated for Bawang Assan seat under Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) in the coming state election.
PDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said he would consider the residents’ proposal to include Ting in the list of potential candidates to be put forward to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) for selection in due time.
“Thanks to Dato Seri Wong Soon Koh as he welcomed me to contest in Bawang Assan. So, we would consider sending Ting who is fresh, dynamic and full of new ideas.
“But we will still leave to GPS to decide,” he said during a visit to Rh Ali Jampi today.
He highlighted this in response to Bawang Assan incumbent Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh’s challenge to contest against him in the seat.
Tiong reiterated that PDP preferred young and charismatic leaders to serve the people rather than the elderly who refused to let go.
“We need to let young leader to have opportunity to serve the community and the rakyat, not like all these old men holding power and never want to let go,” he added.
On the criteria of candidate, Tiong said: “Basically, the most important thing is they must be willing to serve the people so we let the people decide.”
In the last state election held in 2016, Wong, who was then United People’s Party (UPP) president, won the seat as a BN-direct candidate with a majority of 4,131 votes in a four-cornered fight. The Bawang Assan seat is one that he has held since 1990.
The former Second Finance Minister resigned from the state cabinet last year and announced that his party, which has since been rebranded as Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) was no longer Gabungan Parti Sarawak-friendly. —DayakDaily
