A Lun Bawang lawyer Libat Langub, 47, may be the Barisan Nasional's eventual choice as candidate for the Ba'Kelalan state by-election on Sept 18 in the event of a contest.

The first choice is said to be Nelson Ballang, the private secretary to the late Sarawak assistant minister Dr Judson Tagal who was the elected representative for the constituency until his death in a helicopter crash near Bario last month.

Nelson was a bank officer before he worked with Judson.

Malaysiakini understands that certain BN leaders, after getting feedbacks from the ground, have already started sending feelers out.

They are keen to know whether Libat who comes from an Orang Ulu family in Lawas with several graduates, including two lawyers and a dentist, is interested.
The eldest son in the family is Bob Baru 54, a Miri-based practising dentist whose name has also been included.

Bob's name is said to be among four prospective candidates already submitted to the Barisan Nasional leadership but Libat is not.

Apart from Nelson, the other two are said to be Judson's lawyer brother Mutang Tagal, a former member of parliament, and teacher-unionist William Ghani, both also Lun Bawang.

Think about it

When contacted, Libat told malaysiakini that if he was officially approached, "I would first have to think about it."

A close friend said of the bespectacled Libat who is a partner in a Kuching-based legal firm: "He probably feels he is simply not cut out for it." But many professionals from the community think differently, and have asked him to accept when asked.

After graduation, Libat practiced law in Kota Kinabalu in the early 1980s before returning to Sarawak.

The Sarawak National Party (Snap) which is now outside the BN has declared its intention to contest the by-election, saying that "we are defending our seat."

The late Judson won the seat initially on a BN-Snap ticket and was re-elected unopposed again in the last state election in 2001.

Several of Libat's friends, mostly professionals, who are from the same community said they would be happy if Libat, a Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) member, is chosen as the BN candidate.

"We see no reason for anyone else to stand against him," one of them said.

Nomination for the by-election has been fixed on Sept 9.


TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.