SUPP may lose big in state election
Stephen TiongPublished: Jan 22, 2011 8:40 AM | Updated: Jan 22, 2011 4:37 PM
Worried Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) has given a critical assessment on its three BN component partners, in particular Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), in the upcoming Sarawak state election.
Worried Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) has given a critical assessment on its three BN component partners, in particular Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), in the upcoming Sarawak state election.
SUPP, Sarawak's oldest political party, is facing a tough time because it is seen as less attractive among the younger generations, mainly because of its ageing central committee members whose average age is 63 years old.
Both SUPP president Dr George Chan (left) and his deputy, Lau Hieng Ding, are well in their 70s.
On the other hand, Sarawak DAP, with a set of younger leaders led by Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng, who is 52 years old, attracts more attention from urban voters, who are predominantly Chinese.
Against the high-riding Sarawak DAP, SUPP's influence in the urban centres is said to be declining.
Given this, it is only natural for PBB, the lynchpin of Sarawak BN, to be worried of the potential losses in the state polls, that must be held by the middle of this year.
“If SUPP is not careful, I am worried that they will lose most of the seats they are contesting in the coming election,” said a senior PBB member, who requested anonymity.
This assessment was shared by PBB president and Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, who complained that SUPP was unable to attract the younger generation to its side.
It was out of his frustration that Taib had once suggested that he would consider putting winnable candidates not belonging to any political party in the urban areas.
Taib's suggestion was echoed by Prime Minister and BN chief Najib Razak who said at the opening of last week’s SUPP convention that he would exercise his veto power on candidates deemed not likely to win.
Pressured to pick younger candidates
SUPP has the habit of naming its election candidates well in advance, as early as two years before an election is held, without consulting the BN leadership.
Spurred by Najib’s warning, SUPP leaders now said that they would field younger candidates and drop those who had served many terms.
Among those likely to be dropped are assistant minister of local government David Teng Lung Chi (Repok), assistant minister of public health and environment Dr Soon Choon Teck (Dudong) and Vincent Goh (Pelawan).
With the exception of Alfred Yap Chin Loi, the other losing candidates in the 2006 election will not re-nominated.
They include secretary-general senator Sim Kheng Hui, who lost in Pending, Lily Yong Lee Lee (Padungan), Daniel Ngieng (Bukit Assek), Chan Seng Khai (Batu Lintang) and Jonathan Krai Pilo (Engkilili).
Yap has again been selected to re-contest Kota Sentosa against incumbent Chong Chieng Jen (right).
According to the PBB assessment, SUPP will have problem capturing the Kuching City seats of Batu Lintang and Pending from DAP, Padungan from PKR, but may have a good chance of ousting DAP in Kota Sentosa.
“Yap has been working hard since losing to Chong in 2006. He has been able to recruit about 3,500 new voters there,” said a senior PBB member.
With the normally pro-BN postal voters, Yap can be assured of over 2,000 postal votes, mostly from the soldiers at the Penrissen Camp.
In the 2006 election, Yap lost to Chong by 531 votes.
Gone case for SUPP in Batu Lintang
But the same cannot be said for SUPP in Batu Lintang, now held by Voon Lee Shan from DAP.
The party has nominated its Youth chief, Sih Hua Tong, to contest in the constituency. Batu Lintang is home to civil servants and office workers, and they are known to be anti-establishment.
Whether it will be Voon or someone else contesting on the DAP ticket, Sih does not stand a chance of winning.
SUPP, however, has a good chance of retaining another Kuching City seat, Batu Kawah.
It is held by assistant minister of environment Tan Joo Phoi.
Both the DAP and its Pakatan Rakyat partner PKR have made strong claims for the seat. In the 2006 election, PKR was assigned to contest the seat.
This time around, however, DAP wants to put up its candidate as it claims it has a better chance of ousting SUPP.
SUPP is certain to face revolt from its supporters and members in Engkilili, who objected to the admission of Independent assemblyperson Johnical Rayong into its fold last year.
In the 2006 election, Rayong, then contesting on the opposition Snap's ticket, defeated Jonathan Krai. Rayong later left Snap to become a BN-friendly Independent.
When SUPP admitted Rayong as its member, many of its supporters cried foul while some resigned in protest.
SUPP leader Chan has already announced publicly that Rayong would be nominated by the party to re-contest Engkilili on a BN ticket.
DAP's influence in Sibu on the rise
SUPP also has problems in Sibu.
It is not certain whether it can retain Pelawan, Bawang Assan and Dudong in the coming election. Retaining the three seats has become more difficult for the party with the unending open squabbles between two local strongmen - Wong Soon Koh and Dr Soon Choon Teck - for many years.
Wong, who is the state minister of public health and environment, is the state assemblyperson for Bawang Assan while Dr Soon, the assistant minister of public health and environment, is the state assemblyperson for Dudong.
The defeat of SUPP in last year’s by-election in the Sibu parliamentary seat had been partly attributed to the Wong-Soon squabble.
Under Wong Ho Leng (right) - who won the by-election - DAP's influence in Sibu is on the rise. The lack of job and business opportunities have forced many people in the city to vent their anger against SUPP and the government.
It will be an uphill battle too for SUPP to wrest Kidurong from Chiew Chiu Sing, described as a gentleman politician of the DAP.
Always ready with a smile and one who does not spit venom at his opponent, Chiew is well-liked and has served his constituents well.
SUPP has already announced a well-known local lawyer Henry Ling as the man to face Chiew in the election.
Elsewhere, DAP is also mounting challenges against SUPP.
Just like in 2006, SUPP has been allocated 19 of the 71 state seats for the coming election.
Pelagus a headache for PRS
Meanwhile, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) - another Sarawak BN component - led by land development minister James Masing, may win all the nine seats it will be asked to contest provided it can resolve nagging problems in Pelagus, Ngemah and Belaga.
Pelagus is a severe migraine for PRS with assistant minister in the chief minister's office Larry Sng (right) as the sitting assemblyman.
Sng, the son of former Pelagus assemblyperson Sng Chee Hua, was expelled from PRS three years ago when he and his supporters held a separate annual general meeting which elected him as party president.
PRS will not re-nominate Sng for Pelagus, but if he contests as an Independent, that can spell trouble.
According to PBB assessment, cash-loaded Sng has better chances of winning. With his family helicopter and plenty of money at his disposal, he can move anywhere he wants into the rugged Pelagus constituency where rivers and timber tracks are the main modes of transportation.
Speed and time is essential for any candidate wishing to cover as much ground as possible during the election campaign in Pelagus, where about 95 percent of the voters are Iban.
“I believe Masing and Taib have had discussions on Pelagus and I am sure they can come up with amicable solution,” said a PBB member.
Ngemah could also be lost to the opposition if Masing insists on putting his close relative, Alexander Vincent, as the candidate.
Alexander lost to independent Gabriel Adit Demong by 549 votes in 2006. Adit is now Parti Cinta Malaysia's Sarawak branch chairman.
Alexander is not popular among PRS supporters as well as supporters of PBB and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
PBB, it seems, has suggested another name for PRS, but Masing has already made up his mind.
Anti-Bakun dam sentiment in Belaga
PRS may also face problems in Belaga, where the anti-Bakun dam local NGOs have signed up about 2,000 new voters.
In 2006, Liwan won by 227 votes against former Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) secretary-general Stanley Ajang.
But the battle for the hearts and minds of the Belaga voters, however, depends on how many voters the rival candidates and their campaign teams can reach in this probably the country’s most inaccessible constituency.
A trip from one village to another may take anything from a few hours to a few days, both by rivers and on foot.
SUPP, Sarawak's oldest political party, is facing a tough time because it is seen as less attractive among the younger generations, mainly because of its ageing central committee members whose average age is 63 years old.
Both SUPP president Dr George Chan (left) and his deputy, Lau Hieng Ding, are well in their 70s.On the other hand, Sarawak DAP, with a set of younger leaders led by Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng, who is 52 years old, attracts more attention from urban voters, who are predominantly Chinese.
Against the high-riding Sarawak DAP, SUPP's influence in the urban centres is said to be declining.
Given this, it is only natural for PBB, the lynchpin of Sarawak BN, to be worried of the potential losses in the state polls, that must be held by the middle of this year.
“If SUPP is not careful, I am worried that they will lose most of the seats they are contesting in the coming election,” said a senior PBB member, who requested anonymity.
This assessment was shared by PBB president and Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, who complained that SUPP was unable to attract the younger generation to its side.
It was out of his frustration that Taib had once suggested that he would consider putting winnable candidates not belonging to any political party in the urban areas.Taib's suggestion was echoed by Prime Minister and BN chief Najib Razak who said at the opening of last week’s SUPP convention that he would exercise his veto power on candidates deemed not likely to win.
Pressured to pick younger candidates
SUPP has the habit of naming its election candidates well in advance, as early as two years before an election is held, without consulting the BN leadership.
Spurred by Najib’s warning, SUPP leaders now said that they would field younger candidates and drop those who had served many terms.
Among those likely to be dropped are assistant minister of local government David Teng Lung Chi (Repok), assistant minister of public health and environment Dr Soon Choon Teck (Dudong) and Vincent Goh (Pelawan).
With the exception of Alfred Yap Chin Loi, the other losing candidates in the 2006 election will not re-nominated.
They include secretary-general senator Sim Kheng Hui, who lost in Pending, Lily Yong Lee Lee (Padungan), Daniel Ngieng (Bukit Assek), Chan Seng Khai (Batu Lintang) and Jonathan Krai Pilo (Engkilili).
Yap has again been selected to re-contest Kota Sentosa against incumbent Chong Chieng Jen (right).According to the PBB assessment, SUPP will have problem capturing the Kuching City seats of Batu Lintang and Pending from DAP, Padungan from PKR, but may have a good chance of ousting DAP in Kota Sentosa.
“Yap has been working hard since losing to Chong in 2006. He has been able to recruit about 3,500 new voters there,” said a senior PBB member.
With the normally pro-BN postal voters, Yap can be assured of over 2,000 postal votes, mostly from the soldiers at the Penrissen Camp.
In the 2006 election, Yap lost to Chong by 531 votes.
Gone case for SUPP in Batu Lintang
But the same cannot be said for SUPP in Batu Lintang, now held by Voon Lee Shan from DAP.
The party has nominated its Youth chief, Sih Hua Tong, to contest in the constituency. Batu Lintang is home to civil servants and office workers, and they are known to be anti-establishment.
Whether it will be Voon or someone else contesting on the DAP ticket, Sih does not stand a chance of winning.
SUPP, however, has a good chance of retaining another Kuching City seat, Batu Kawah.
It is held by assistant minister of environment Tan Joo Phoi.Both the DAP and its Pakatan Rakyat partner PKR have made strong claims for the seat. In the 2006 election, PKR was assigned to contest the seat.
This time around, however, DAP wants to put up its candidate as it claims it has a better chance of ousting SUPP.
SUPP is certain to face revolt from its supporters and members in Engkilili, who objected to the admission of Independent assemblyperson Johnical Rayong into its fold last year.
In the 2006 election, Rayong, then contesting on the opposition Snap's ticket, defeated Jonathan Krai. Rayong later left Snap to become a BN-friendly Independent.
When SUPP admitted Rayong as its member, many of its supporters cried foul while some resigned in protest.
SUPP leader Chan has already announced publicly that Rayong would be nominated by the party to re-contest Engkilili on a BN ticket.
DAP's influence in Sibu on the rise
SUPP also has problems in Sibu.
It is not certain whether it can retain Pelawan, Bawang Assan and Dudong in the coming election. Retaining the three seats has become more difficult for the party with the unending open squabbles between two local strongmen - Wong Soon Koh and Dr Soon Choon Teck - for many years.
Wong, who is the state minister of public health and environment, is the state assemblyperson for Bawang Assan while Dr Soon, the assistant minister of public health and environment, is the state assemblyperson for Dudong.
The defeat of SUPP in last year’s by-election in the Sibu parliamentary seat had been partly attributed to the Wong-Soon squabble.Under Wong Ho Leng (right) - who won the by-election - DAP's influence in Sibu is on the rise. The lack of job and business opportunities have forced many people in the city to vent their anger against SUPP and the government.
It will be an uphill battle too for SUPP to wrest Kidurong from Chiew Chiu Sing, described as a gentleman politician of the DAP.
Always ready with a smile and one who does not spit venom at his opponent, Chiew is well-liked and has served his constituents well.
SUPP has already announced a well-known local lawyer Henry Ling as the man to face Chiew in the election.
Elsewhere, DAP is also mounting challenges against SUPP.
Just like in 2006, SUPP has been allocated 19 of the 71 state seats for the coming election.
Pelagus a headache for PRS
Meanwhile, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) - another Sarawak BN component - led by land development minister James Masing, may win all the nine seats it will be asked to contest provided it can resolve nagging problems in Pelagus, Ngemah and Belaga.
Pelagus is a severe migraine for PRS with assistant minister in the chief minister's office Larry Sng (right) as the sitting assemblyman.Sng, the son of former Pelagus assemblyperson Sng Chee Hua, was expelled from PRS three years ago when he and his supporters held a separate annual general meeting which elected him as party president.
PRS will not re-nominate Sng for Pelagus, but if he contests as an Independent, that can spell trouble.
According to PBB assessment, cash-loaded Sng has better chances of winning. With his family helicopter and plenty of money at his disposal, he can move anywhere he wants into the rugged Pelagus constituency where rivers and timber tracks are the main modes of transportation.
Speed and time is essential for any candidate wishing to cover as much ground as possible during the election campaign in Pelagus, where about 95 percent of the voters are Iban.“I believe Masing and Taib have had discussions on Pelagus and I am sure they can come up with amicable solution,” said a PBB member.
Ngemah could also be lost to the opposition if Masing insists on putting his close relative, Alexander Vincent, as the candidate.
Alexander lost to independent Gabriel Adit Demong by 549 votes in 2006. Adit is now Parti Cinta Malaysia's Sarawak branch chairman.
Alexander is not popular among PRS supporters as well as supporters of PBB and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
PBB, it seems, has suggested another name for PRS, but Masing has already made up his mind.
Anti-Bakun dam sentiment in Belaga
PRS may also face problems in Belaga, where the anti-Bakun dam local NGOs have signed up about 2,000 new voters.
In 2006, Liwan won by 227 votes against former Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) secretary-general Stanley Ajang.But the battle for the hearts and minds of the Belaga voters, however, depends on how many voters the rival candidates and their campaign teams can reach in this probably the country’s most inaccessible constituency.
A trip from one village to another may take anything from a few hours to a few days, both by rivers and on foot.
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