BN STRONGHOLD: Village chiefs raising hands to show support for Lau (third left) during his visit to 15 longhouses in Oya and Salim yesterday. – Photo by Othman Ishak
SIBU: Barisan Nasional representatives do not become elusive but maintain constant contact with their rural supporters even after the election.
BN Sibu candidate Vincent Lau who said this, reiterated that he would not disappear but continue to keep close contact with the rural supporters through local Iban community leaders.
“Any requests from the rural folk will be passed to me through their community leaders and these requests would be fulfilled and problems solved.
“We are visiting these longhouses at least once a year, usually during Gawai. The reason we visit is to show that we are sincere in serving them,” said Lau at a press conference at Rh Jawin while canvassing 15 Iban longhouses in the Oya and Salim areas yesterday.
Lau said his first round started before last Gawai, where they visited all the 140 longhouses after he was named as BN candidate for Sibu.
“This is the final round before polling. We have eight days to complete (visiting all longhouses).
“We are very pleased that all longhouses showed their support for me,” said Lau.
Canvassing for votes in the rural longhouse has been his new experience and he said that it has been very tough and challenging.
Describing the needs of the rural areas, some more demanding than others, he said he hoped to be elected as a parliamentary representative so that he could work together with Nangka assemblyman Dr Annuar Rapa’ee to assist these rural folk more effectively.
Lau, the only Temenggong who resigned after three years in the office, stressed that he genuinely wanted to serve the people, including both the rural folk and the city dwellers.
“The Chinese must realise that the opposition cannot deliver,” cautioned Lau, who stressed that the argument presented by the opposition was to create ill-feeling against the government.