By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Oct 21: Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang is often described as a YB (elected representative) who is “dekat di hati” (close to the heart), something not any young elected representative can easily attain.
His humility and dedication in serving his people have proven to be worth his while in view of a recent social media post stating the wishes of Selangau folk for Gira to be Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) candidate in the coming 15th General Election (GE15).
The post by Tuai Rumah Rickie Andrewson Ngalai on Wednesday (Oct 19) garnered over a hundred likes and dozens of comments, all agreeing to the proposal.
Gira was quick to respond that the main objective and focus is to wrest back the Selangau seat from the Opposition, no matter who the candidate will be.
“It is up to the people to assess and the top leaders to decide,” he said when contacted today.
Commenting on sentiment on the ground, he believed GPS has the advantage to win the people’s hearts this time round.
He said the people in Selangau may want to vote for GPS this election after years of no federal funding under the Opposition wing.
“Because there has been no budget (allocations) from the Opposition, as of now, it depends on the State budget.
“In Tamin, it depends on me. In Kakus, it depends on (assemblyman) Datuk John Sikie, all from our Sarawak budget. So this is definitely a loss to the community in Selangau.”
When asked about his stance should he be chosen to stand in Selangau, Gira said: “If that is the case, I want to stand. I’m ready to take up the challenge.”
Though it might not be accessible due to Selangau being a big parliamentary constituency to cover and his unfamiliarity with the Kakus State constituency, he expressed a strong desire for the seat to be back in GPS’ fold.
In Tamin, on the other hand, Gira said campaigning would not be an issue as he has been on the ground even after the last State election.
“I’m still moving around (in Tamin) as usual as their ADUN (assemblyman), almost every week, doing my duties.”
In the 2021 Sarawak Election, Gira faced former Selangau MP Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) in a straight fight and won with a majority of 3,588 votes. — DayakDaily
