By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 2: Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing did not admit nor deny speculations that he will be contesting in one of the State constituencies in Sibu in the forthcoming State election.
Rumours have it that the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president was interested in coming back to serve as a State assemblyman in Sibu, the place he grew up in.
“That are rumours so we will leave them as rumours. To me, I don’t know how to tell you. In politics, we can only say ‘God willing’. That’s all,” he told DayakDaily in an exclusive online interview today.
When asked if he has any preference on the potential State constituency that he might contest in the next State polls, Tiong declined to respond but emphasised that he holds his hometown Sibu dear to his heart.
“At the moment, I am just trying my best to serve. Of course Sibu is my hometown and I grew up in the area in Dudong.
“I haven’t gone back to my hometown for a while already but I still got a lot of relatives there including my sister and some other family members. So I might drop by and have a look just to see what I can do for the area there because it is my childhood home town after all,” he added.
Based on previous news reports, apart from moving on the ground to serve his Bintulu parliamentary constituency, Tiong was seen making visits to longhouses in Sibu, which he had claimed to gain a clear understanding on local issues and fostering closer relationships with the people.
On Sept 3, 2019, a local English daily quoted PDP vice president Teo Boon Siew as saying that the party was eyeing to contest in three seats in the central region namely Bawang Assan, Pelawan and Dudong in the coming State election.
In Sibu, there are five State constituencies, namely Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan and Nangka.
The Bukit Assek and Pelawan seats are held by Democratic Action Party (DAP), Dudong and Bawang Assan held by by Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) while Nangka by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
Within the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, PDP has not been allocated any seats in Sibu as the Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan and Pelawan seats were allocated to the SUPP while Nangka belongs to PBB. – DayakDaily
