The Sarawak BN will put up a young and educated candidate to wrest back the hot seat of Padungan , one of four Kuching-based seats lost to the opposition, in the coming April 16 state election.

Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud said the state coalition had finalised the 'winnable' candidate to win back the seat which was once a stronghold of Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP).

However, Sarawak BN would only reveal the candidate's identity after PKR, the party which won the seat in the May 2006 state election, announced its candidate, he said.

Taib, who is also state BN chairman, was speaking to reporters after opening the Kuching South division's Sejiwa Senada programme today.

In the 2006 state election , the predominantly Chinese urban seat was won by PKR’s Dominique Ng, with a 1,033-majority vote, after garnering 8,002 votes. SUPP's incumbent Lily Yong only bagged 6,585 votes.

SUPP’s Sim expected to be fielded

Speculation is rife that Kuching SUPP branch member Sim Kiang Chiok might be announced as Padungan's BN candidate on April 5, the eve of nomination day.

He is also Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers' Association (Sheda) secretary-general.

Meanwhile, a local newspaper today reported that Kuching folks expressed support for Sim as BN candidate for Padungan, one of eight seats in Sarawak which SUPP lost in the last state election. SUPP had contested in 19 seats.

On Thursday, Taib had said the list of BN candidates for the state polls would be submitted to Prime Minister Najib Razak early next month.

So far, Najib had named only one candidate, Sarawak General Hospital head of cardiology unit Prof Dr Sim Kui Khian, to wrest back the Pending seat, during his visit to Kenyalang Park here last Saturday.

- Bernama