Dayak parties all fired up for S'wak election
Two Dayak-based BN component parties are ready to face the voters in the rural constituencies in the April 16 state elections.
Two Dayak-based BN component parties are ready to face the voters in the rural constituencies in the April 16 state elections.
"We have been preparing ourselves well in advance for this election," Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president William Mawan Ikom (left) declared yesterday.
"I myself have been on the ground almost every week, meeting the people and seeking solutions to their problems," he said.
He said the other seven state assemblypersons from the party have also been working hard in their respective constituencies.
On the list of candidates from the party, Mawan, who is also the state minister of social development and urbanisation, said he expected to meet the State BN chairman and Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in a couple of days to submit candidates from the party.
"Both the chief minister and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will have to endorse the names of our candidates. As BN leaders, they have the prerogative to amend the names on our list," he said.
SPDP is allocated eight seats to contest in the state elections, while PBB, the lynchpin of the state BN, will contest in 35 seats, SUPP 19 and PRS, nine.
PRS candidates finalised
PRS president James Masing said the list of candidates from his party has been finalised.
"It will be submitted to the chief minister and prime minister for endorsement later," he said.
He said the list contains seven incumbents and two newcomers for the state elections.
The newcomers are for the Ngemah and Pelagus seats.
PRS has excluded assistant minister in the chief minister's office Larry Sng from the list as he is no longer a member of the party.
Sng was elected on a PRS-BN ticket in the 2006 elections.
PRS has named a newcomer to replace Sng in Pelagus. The party also has to put a newcomer in Ngemah, the only seat PRS lost in 2006.
"All of us have been doing our groundwork for a long time. In fact, I have instructed the incumbents to be on the ground and meet the people always.
"Based on the feedback, they have done their job well and I am happy with what they are doing," he said.
He said he will be meeting them tomorrow to rectify any weaknesses or solve the problems before nomination day on April 6.
On the support given by the community leaders in Pelagus for Sng to contest in there on a PRS-BN ticket, Masing (right) said it is the work of some people who are using a tactic employed in the 1960s and 1970s.
"We do not use it anymore because it has lost its credibility to reflect true support for a particular leader," he said.
Masing also questioned the authenticity of the support for Sng.
"I am really doubtful whether these community leaders are genuinely expressing their true feelings," he added.
Sarawak PKR leader Baru Bian said the nomination and polling dates fit well into the party's plans.
"I have no complaints against the 10-day campaign period. We have been on the ground for a long time, so it fits into our agenda," he said.
Baru said he is not surprised with the announcement of the state elections as he had been expecting it to be held in April.
