By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, July 19: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Stakan branch asserts its branch chairman Dato Sim Kiang Chiok is the best candidate to face Democratic Action Party (DAP) and win back the P196 Stampin seat for Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15).
According to its branch secretary Sivanesan Sanmugalingam, SUPP Stakan made a resolution to promote its chairman as a prospective candidate as early as 2016, but its focus shifted when the party decided to put forward its party president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian as the candidate for the 14th general election (GE14).
“However, following the defeat, SUPP Stakan rekindled its interest in the seat by starting groundwork in various areas,” he said today during a press conference at SUPP Stakan’s headquarters (HQ) here.
He stated that the party has decided at the level of the central working committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, that no Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) members will be stand as parliamentary candidates this time around.
“As a result, we are aware that the party president won’t make a second attempt, and we believe that because our branch chairman is always on the ground and has been the face in the press quite prominently, he is the most suitable candidate and the most feared candidate for DAP.
“DAP has repeatedly used their law firms to intimidate him, and they have recently taken him to court in yet another attempt to silence him from highlighting all of their wrongdoings.
“We can see that Sim doesn’t scare easily and he will continue to challenge DAP and their policy,” Sivanesan asserted.
The branch secretary also revealed that on July 13, 2022, SUPP Stakan submitted a letter to the party leadership, CWC, and the party’s P196 Parliamentary Liaison Committee chairman Lo Khere Chiang, requesting that its chairman’s name be considered for candidacy.
“Today, we announce the launch of the ‘Team Dato Sim Kiang Chiok’ campaign, which will use a three-pronged approach to introduce our chairman to the public: a door-to-door campaign on the ground, a mainstream media campaign, and a social media campaign.
“The door-to-door campaign will begin tomorrow in Sim’s own neighbourhood of Everbright Estate, which is located in the Batu Kawah State constituency, and the mainstream media campaign will begin today with this press conference, and we will create a press WhatsApp group to send out information to the press during this campaign.
“Additionally, the social media campaign will kick off on July 29, 2022,” he disclosed.
Sim, as an aspiring parliamentarian, will focus the majority of SUPP Stakan branch’s campaigns on federal matters, where he will be able to assist in resolving issues, as per Sivanesan.
“Stampin has been under DAP for the past ten years, and all federal facilities have been lacking, so now is the time for Stampin to reclaim its former glory as one of Sarawak’s fastest growing areas.
“Stampin must be the beacon of example for the people to see, and for that reason we need a parliamentarian in that position and that’s why we are going to concentrate on federal issues,” he claimed.
He also noted that Sim is 59-years-old, and that the latter’s long service to SUPP and continued service in GPS demonstrates his loyalty and belief in GPS policies.
“He shares the Premier of Sarawak’s moderation and will be an asset to GPS if he is chosen to represent our party by the leaders,” Sivanesan added.
Meanwhile, SUPP Stakan Youth chairman Valentine Daley Yong stated that the branch’s decision to nominate Sim as the chosen candidate to reclaim the P196 Stampin parliamentary seat for GPS and SUPP is fully supported by the youth members. — DayakDaily
