Disgruntled PKR members may contest as independents
PKR’s strongman Domique Ng has quit the party after being overlooked as a candidate and may contest as independent to retain his Padungan seat, which was given to DAP.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Opposition’s hopes of a straight fight in Bawang Assan and Bukit Assek state constituencies may not materialise as two independents have also shown an interest in contesting these seats.
Local social activist Hii Tiong Huat has expressed interest in contesting the Bukit Assek seat facing Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) candidate Chieng Buong Toon and incumbent DAP’s Wong Ho Leng.
While PKR’s Robert Lim has allegedly said that he will contest in Bawang Assan taking on DAP’s Alice Lau and SUPP’s Wong Soon Koh.
Lim said yesterday that he was compelled to contest by PKR’s more than 1,000 members in Bawang Assan.
“I will contest again as an independent… but I will have to decide whether it will be in Bawang Assan or Bukit Assek.
“I have been told that Wong has not returned to the constituency and that his voters are unhappy with him,” said Lim adding that he was still evaluating the political situation.
Hii meanwhile is focussed on bringing Wong down. He is reported to have said that he ‘will follow’ Wong wherever he contests.
Little however is known of Hii’s pursuit of Wong.
Trouble in Machan
Sibu is seen as a hotbed for DAP who is poised to battle it out in 15 seats in the state.
PKR has also declared its intention to contest in 48 constituencies.
In 27 of these constituencies, PKR is expected to be in a three-cornered fight with Sarawak Nasional Party (Snap) and Barisan Nasional.
Also in Sibu another PKR member Patrick Goh is angry enough to walk it alone.
Goh slammed the leadership’s decision to field George Chen in the Machan seat.
Describing the choice as “ridiculous”, Goh accused the state’s selection committee of making “a last minute decision to make the changes”.
Goh said that during a closed meeting on March 30, he was informed that he would be fielded in Machan and that Chen would contest in Dudong. But now Dudong has gone to DAP.
An unhappy Goh has urged his supporters not to rally behind Chen.
Ng decides to walk alone too
In Kuching meanwhile, it has emerged that bitter and angry Padungan incumbent Domique Ng has quit PKR and will contest as an independent after his party failed to name him as a candidate in the April 16 election.
Ng wrested the seat, in 2006, from SUPP’s Chan Seng Khai by a 1,417-vote majority. This time around, PKR has given the seat to DAP. Padungan was the sole seat which PKR won in 2006.
When he heard that PKR had swapped the seat with DAP, a puzzled Ng’s immediate reaction was: “The DAP has never won the seat in any state elections…only PKR did.”
PKR might also have another unhappy candidate in the form of Suriati Abdullah, slated to contest against Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in Balingian.
However today, Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS) revealed that it wanted ex-PBB leader and the CM’s second cousin Salleh Jafaruddin to take on Taib in a straight fight. MoCS claimed that it has sought the approval of PKR for the straight fight.
