Lau confirmed as BN man

(The Star) KUCHING: Confirming an open secret, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has announced Robert Lau Hui Yew as the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Sibu by-election.

Taib said the Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) choice of candidate was agreed to by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“The Prime Minister thinks that the recommendation of Robert Lau (Hui Yew) indicates good preparation by SUPP to upgrade its future leaders. He was very impressed with Hui Yew,” he told reporters after arriving from Kuala Lumpur at the Hornbill Skyways hangar here last night.

Since the Sibu seat fell vacant following the death of Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew on April 9, Hui Yew’s name had been bandied about as the front-runner to be the Barisan candidate. He was unanimously proposed by Sibu SUPP and the party’s leadership later submitted his name along with a “spare candidate” to Taib to be forwarded to the Prime Minister for approval.

Taib described the 45-year-old Hui Yew as a good all-round man and well known in Sibu.

“He’s been a lawyer for some time and most people in Sibu know him. He has got friends across racial lines and can work well with all the parties within the state Barisan.

“He’s the kind of person whom we would like to attract into our organisation, so I’ve got to congratulate SUPP on a wise choice,” he said.

On Hui Yew’s chance of winning, Taib said it looked good but added that the matter lay in the hands of voters.

Deputy Chief Minister and SUPP president Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Hui Yew embodied the new type of candidate for the party – someone young, energetic and willing to work the ground.

“I feel this young man will be the type of person who will be a good elected representative. This is a new era (for SUPP) and I hope I can persuade more people like this to come up,” he said. However, he said they should not take victory for granted.

“No election is ever easy and we have been working very hard over the last few months. I want to give the image that SUPP is changing. We have made some mistakes in the past and we want to change now for the better,” he said.