First, it was the name of former state DAP chairperson Wong Sing Nang who was rejected by the ruling SUPP as candidate for the Meradong seat, a Sarawak state constituency near Sibu.

Now, it is the name of Wong Hie Ching, a 26-year-old woman of the party whom senior SUPP leaders in Meradong claimed they do not even know.

Sing Nang was rejected because the Chinese-based party viewed that with his past political background, he was considered unacceptable. He is said to be favoured by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Several top party leaders then picked Hie Ching who holds a masters degree from Unimas, as candidate against the apparent wishes of SUPP deputy president and Sarikei MP Law Hieng Ding and most of his committee members, including a former state assemblyperson Thomas Hii and Meradong incumbent Ting Chek Sii.

Law, a former senior federal minister, told malaysiakini today that he had never met or knew Hie Ching, the party's women central committee deputy secretary who hails from neighbouring Sarikei nor had he ever been consulted on her as the party's candidate.

He said Hie Ching had only joined the party a year ago and described her as 'a greenhorn' and warned the party it could make a fatal mistake if other more mature and qualified potentials were not considered.

Many members in the 5,500-member branch have even gone to the media to threaten to resign if Hie Ching is chosen to contest in Meradong.

In the 2001 state elections, SUPP's Ting Check Sii, a wealthy businessman, won with a big majority of 3,621 votes in a straight fight against DAP's Yek SIe Ping by polling 7,391 votes.

Nine names submitted

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Law explained that the party's seven-member selection committee chaired by party president Dr George Chan considered a list of nine names, including the two former assemblymen, as well as Law's former press and political secretaries who have been members for many years and have been active in the Meradong branch.

"The list includes a PhD graduate, lawyers and an accountant," he said. "We left it to the party president to shortlist the names and to come back to the party with the final choice for our approval," he said adding that if "Hie Ching has been chosen, I was never consulted."

Law said it would be difficult to 'sell' a candidate if the wrong one was chosen and he was worried the opposition would exploit the situation.

In Miri yesterday, Dr Chan defended his decision, saying the party must opt for "young people and more women" as candidates.

The DAP is expected to field a young woman lawyer Ting Tze Hui, 25, for the Meradong seat. Her father is the party's Bintangor branch.