KUCHING: Deputy Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister and Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Seri Dr James Dawos will not be defending his seat in the 14th general election (GE14) due to poor health, according to a source.
It is learned from the source that due to his poor health, Dawos had appointed Datuk Detta Samen as his special officer to serve the people in his constituency over the last few months.
“Most probably, he will not be able to carry on due to poor health,” the source told The Borneo Post yesterday.
When contacted, Detta declined to make any comment on Dawos’ condition except to say that as far as the seat was concerned, the Barisan Nasional (BN) should be able to defend it in GE14.
“I can say that Puncak Borneo is a white area. This is because, besides me, the three YBs (elected representatives) serving under in the parliamentary constituency have been working very hard as a team to serve the ‘rakyat’ (people),” said Detta, who is a prominent lawyer.
Dawos is a four-term MP of Puncak Borneo – formerly called Mambong before the delineation exercise two years ago.
Puncak Borneo is one of the three Bidayuh-majority parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak – the other two are Serian and Mas Gading, where the incumbents are expected to defend their seats.
According to SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Human Resources Minister and Serian MP Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem will be retained as the party’s pick in GE14.
“We will field six new faces, except for Datuk Seri Richard Riot who will remain,” said Dr Sim via WhatsApp.
He believed that SUPP would be able to wrest back a few seats from the opposition in the next parliamentary election. In GE13, SUPP lost six of its seven seats.
As for SPDP, its president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the party would soon hold its supreme council meeting to decide on the candidates for Baram, Bintulu, Saratok and Mas Gading.
Commenting on the next parliamentary election, state BN secretary-general Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi said it would be able to defend its 25 seats and perhaps, reclaim three seats from the opposition.
“We’re confident in retaining all our seats and perhaps, recapture at least three more seats (from opposition),” he said.
Out of the present 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, 25 are under BN, five under DAP and one under PKR.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing recently said his party PRS, of which he is the president, would be able to deliver the six seats allocated to it in GE14.