Commentary
By Lian Cheng
FOLLOWING the announcement of dissolution of Parliament, apart from enthusiastic speculation over nomination and polling dates, there have also been mischievous predictions over candidacy.
For Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) which is traditionally allocated seven parliamentary seats comprising Serian, Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Miri, Sarikei, Sibu and Lanang to contest, rumours over the party’s possible candidates for the 15th General Election have been rife.
So far, Serian is the only seat where its president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian has clearly indicated that incumbent Dato Sri Richard Riot Jaem will defend the seat.
As for the rest of the six Chinese-majority seats, Dr Sim has so far kept mum, but stressing that SUPP will not field assemblymen so as to make way for new faces, leading to conclusions that there will be six new faces fielded in the upcoming general polls.
For Bandar Kuching, perhaps it has been a public secret that the potential SUPP candidates are political secretary to the Premier Tan Kai, Kuching South City Council counsellor Kho Teck Wan and Eric Tay, a local businessman.
Among the three, Tan and Kho are deemed to stand out due to active participation in local community activities. And between the two, Kho seems to have a higher chance to be picked because SUPP is always an advocate for more woman representation.
The names of Tan and Kho as potential candidates have not only been raised when the Bandar Kuching seat is mentioned, but also when the topic switches to Stampin, despite both being members from SUPP branches under Bandar Kuching.
Prior to the dissolution of Parliament, it was rumoured that Kho will be fielded in Bandar Kuching while Tan Kai, in Stampin. Other potential candidates for Stampin included Dato Sim Kian Chiok and Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang, who is also the current chairman of Padawan Municipal Council (MPP).
Lo’s many hats has been cited as the reason why many believe that he has a slim chance to be fielded in Stampin, in view of the existence of an unwritten rule of “no assemblyman for Parliamentary seat” in SUPP.
The Kampung Haji Baki incident however may be the turning point, making Lo an exception to the strict rule.
On Oct 6, Lo was at Kampung Haji Baki with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg attending an event. While Lo was giving a speech, the call for prayer sounded from a distance.
Quietly, Lo explained that it was Azan and he would pause his speech. Lo’s small and seemingly insignificant gesture had earned praises and approval from Abang Johari. Following the incident, many speculated that Lo may just be the one after all.
In Miri and Sibu, speculation over possible SUPP candidates has not been as fervently discussed, perhaps due to the fact that most of the potential or proposed candidates are new faces who are not as well-known publicly.
For Sibu, the rumoured potential candidates are Daniel Sng, Tony Hii and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting with Senator Robert Lau’s name also a constant mention.
Despite not being in the candidate list, Lau’s performance in the 2021 Sarawak Election had impressed many where in a David-vs-Goliath standoff in Bawang Assan saw him losing by only 913 votes to former Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh who was defending his seat.
Putting Lau aside, between Sng, Hii and Ting, the SMC chairman is a favourite in terms of possible candidacy due to his high public profile as the “mayor” figure for Sibu.
In Lanang, between the two potential candidates comprising Sarawak Rural District Council deputy chairman Wong Ching Yong and SMC councillor Raymond Tong, it is speculated Wong stands a good chance of being selected after he gracefully backed off and consented to give way to Progressive Democratic Party’s (PDP) Dudong assemblyman Dato Sri Tiong King Sing to be the GPS candidate in Dudong during the 2021 Sarawak Election.
In Miri, SUPP secretary general Datuk Sebastian Ting has announced three potential candidates, namely Jeffrey Phang, Leslie Lau and Aries Leong for SUPP top leadership to decide from. Between the three, it has been rumoured that Phang who has been making quite a number of public appearances on behalf of Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin will be picked.
In Sarikei, both Repok and Bintangor branches have given their blessing to political secretary to the Premier Ting Ung Woo who has already been working hard on the ground. While seemingly there may be no other candidates in sight, rumours have also been rife that Meradong assemblyman Datuk Ding Kuong Hiing might be fielded as GPS wants to secure the best chance of winning the seat.
Should that be the case, it would mean that the unwritten rule of “no assemblyman for parliament seat” will again be set aside.
Despite names being submitted as potential candidates and approval from top leadership, there may always be a last-minute change due to various factors and considerations. Anything is possible in politics. — DayakDaily
