Snap also keen on Batang Ai

Sarawak National Party (Snap) is believed to be keen to field a candidate for the forthcoming by-election in Batang Ai.

Its vice-president Johnny Wong told The Borneo Post in Sibu that Snap should be allowed to propose its own candidate for the by-election even though PKR has declared its intention to field its man.

“I have spoken to our (Snap) president Edwin Dundang and he concurred with me on the need to form such a committee (or a committee made up of Pakatan Rakyat component parties in the state - DAP, PKR and SNAP),” Wong said.

Snap has valid reasons to stake its claim to Batang Ai. This constituency in the Sri Aman Division was once a Snap stronghold. Nicholas Bawin, the PKR potential candidate for the seat, contested in Batang Ai on a Snap ticket in the 2006 state election. Bawin is now with PKR.

Of late, Bawin has explained that he used Snap symbol to contest in 2006 because the political party he was promoting, namely Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC), could not be registered in time.

He also said he has lost hope in getting MDC registered as a party and this prompted him to join PKR headed by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

No 'bad blood'

Contacted by the Post, Kuching PKR division chief Dominique Ng said that PKR and Snap will have to agree on a single candidate as it was important to engage the BN in a straight fight.

Ng denied there was ever “bad blood” between the two parties following the abrupt resignation of Bawin as well as Engkilili assemblyperson Dr Johnical Rayong.

Like Bawin, Rayong resigned from Snap upon his election to become an independent. Subsequently, Rayong declared he was a pro-BN legislator. It is believed that he has applied to join Supp as Engkilili is a Supp seat in the Sarawak BN power-sharing formula.

“These two (Bawin and Rayong) used the Snap symbol during the 2006 state election because Snap consented to it. They were in fact protem president and deputy president of MDC back then,” Ng pointed out.