Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe
BAU: Dropping or retaining serving parliamentarians from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) in the coming general election should be best left to the grassroots to decide, Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe said.
He advised that the incumbents should not be changed just for the sake of changing but must be made after thorough assessment was made on the ground and taking into consideration the voice of grassroots supporters.
Dr Tiki, who is SPDP vice-president and National Service Training Council chairman, told reporters this after flagging ‘Kembara Merdeka Ramadan’ participants who made a brief stopover at Kampung Sibuluh while on their way to Lundu from Kuching yesterday.
He was asked to comment on a news report that Mas Gading might see a new face in the next parliamentary election as SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom remarked that his visit to William Jinep’s deer farm here on Saturday could be seen as a “good beginning” for Jinep.
“It is not a question of whether I am ready to step down or not. If that is the question then I should say I am ever ready. Even if I am asked to go now I am more than willing.
“But the biggest and most pertinent issue is whether the new face can help us secure the seat or not. This is most important. Of course our president has every right to make his decision but naturally he will look at all aspects before passing any verdict,” he added.
Dr Tiki said what he feared most was that a wrong candidate might be picked which later would result in the seat “falling into wrong hands (opposition)” although he said it could not be denied that Mas Gading was not short of good potential candidates with high calibre.
“Talking about good and qualified candidates in Tasik Biru I should say we have plenty. We are not short of those with high calibre but whether or not they can win that is another question.
“I am not trying to look down on them because after all we are all friends. I am not bias but like what I have said any decision on candidacy must be made based on the feedback from the ground,” he further stressed.
At the moment, SPDP has four members of parliament, the other three being Deputy Home Minister Jelaing Mersat (Saratok), International Trade and Industries Deputy Minister Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan (Baram) and Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Bintulu) who is also SPDP treasurer-general.
Sagan is SPDP senior vice chairman while Jelaing, vice president.
At the occasion yesterday, Dr Tiki also presented ‘jalur gemilang ‘to heads of departments and community leaders here, apart from giving away goodies to 10 less fortunate individuals and families.