ONLY ONE BARISAN: Ranum (front row, fifth right), Nogeh (sixth right) Minos (seventh right), Balang (fourth right) and representatives of other BN component parties showing their support to BN at the gathering.
LUNDU: The two Sarawak United People Party (SUPP) branches in Mas Gading have now openly voiced their support for recommended BN candidate Anthony Nogeh Gumbek from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
SUPP Opar and SUPP Tasik Biru branches pledged their support during a gathering held at the bazaar here Monday night which was also attended by Nogeh, SPDP secretary-general Datuk Nelson Balang Rining and PBB deputy information chief Dato Peter Minos.
Opar assemblyman Ranum Mina, who spoke on behalf of the branches, stressed that there must be cooperation among all the four component parties in the constituency to ensure that BN retain the (Mas Gading) seat.
He said he came out to make his open support to Nogeh after Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had publicly announced that all BN candidates in the coming general election must come from BN component parties.
“We in SUPP will help SPDP and its candidate (Nogeh). The State BN backbone party PBB has already clearly and openly expressed its support. We must move fast to counter the opposition propaganda and allegations.
“We need BN representative in Mas Gading and don’t say that if you are from SUPP, PBB or PRS you don’t bother to help. It is important that we all help to ensure victory for the BN,” said Ranum to loud applause from the audience.
Ranum went on to say that there should not be any questions on why SPDP should put its candidate in Mas Gading. Everybody should acknowledge that Mas Gading had always been SPDP seat.
“If the candidate from SPDP is Anthony Nogeh then he is the candidate whom we all should support because the important thing is that we must have a (BN) representative who can work for us at the federal level.
“I can say that it is now ‘certain’ that SPDP and Nogeh will get the seat,” said Ranum.
Ranum also promised that he would discuss with SPDP leaders and Nogeh on strategies to be used in the campaigns, particularly in countering the opposition’s allegations and propaganda.
Balang, who also spoke, thanked PBB and SUPP branches in Opar and Tasik Biru for their readiness to support his party in Mas Gading.
“I know Ranum will help us and I also thank Datuk Peter Minos of PBB Opar and John Nyigor of PBB Tasik Biru for their open support,” he said.
He said the support from the other three BN component parties namely PBB, SUPP and PRS was crucial to ensure the SPDP candidate retain the Mas Gading seat for BN.
SPDP vice-president Ryan Narong, meanwhile, called on all BN voters to rally behind Nogeh to ensure a big victory for BN in Mas Gading.
Also present at the gathering were a group of SUPP Tanjung Datu led by its chairman and PRS members and supporters whom Ranum said should help in the coming election in Mas Gading.