Abang Johari Tun Openg
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg is confident the state BN will win more than 25 seats in the upcoming general election (GE14) because it can wrest back some of the Chinese majority seats from the opposition.
He said the state BN wanted more Chinese to come back to the BN fold.
“We want the Chinese to come back and we have the policies to help them, just like we help other races. They (Chinese and other races) are equal and the same,” Abang Johari said during a special meeting with the media ‘Chief Minister’s Special Session with the Media: 100 Days and Beyond’ here yesterday.
Citing the example of granting RM6 million financial assistance to Chinese Independent schools on Friday, he said the BN government has a formula to sustain its policy of giving financial aid to Chinese Independent schools.
“I told them (Chinese schools) also that I have a formula to get the money, but not to touch the state coffer, in order to help Chinese Independent schools because many Bumiputera are also studying there,” he said.
He also clarified that he has been supporting Chinese Independent schools not only because there are many Bumiputera students attending the schools but also because of the value of Chinese education which is taught in Mandarin.
With the policy, he hoped the Chinese would have confidence in BN government.
Based on the results of the last state election, Abang Johari said he was confident the state BN could wrest back more Chinese-majority seats from the opposition.
“We may have additional seats because in the last state election, we wrested back many seats from DAP,” said Abang Johari before naming the seats which state BN had managed to take back in the last state election.
State BN won eight out of 16 Chinese-majority seats in the 2016 state election.
The 16 Chinese majority seats in Sarawak are Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawah, Padungan, Repok, Meradong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Tanjong Batu, Pujut, Senadin, Piasau and new seat Batu Kitang.
In the 2016 state election, the state BN managed to recapture Batu Kawah, Repok, Meradong, Dudong and Piasau, while retaining Bukit Assek and Senadin as well as winning Batu Kitang.
Abang Johari said the state BN has good policies, thus the Chinese were willing to give their support.
On the upcoming general election, he said Sarawak would continue to be a BN fixed deposit.
“God willing, we will give more seats to BN in Kuala Lumpur. My sixth sense is that we may be able to give more than that. My sixth sense.”
“I have a feeling that we can give more than 25 seats. The least is 25, out of 31. The least is 25, if not more than 25, based on the last state election results,” he said.
In the 2013 general election, BN only managed to retain one out of seven Chinese majority parliamentary seats. It retained Bintulu and lost to DAP the six seats of Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Sarikei, Lanang, Sibu and Miri.
Abang Johari, who took over the helm of the state government on Jan 13, following the passing of Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem on Jan 11, has continued to keep mum on a cabinet reshuffle.
He said a mandate was given to Adenan who was in office for just eight months after the 2016 state election.
“The mandate was given to Tok Nak (Adenan), the chief was tok Nan. After he passed away I took over. I regard it as Tok Nan’s Team. There is no difference between my team and Tok Nan’s Team except for the leader,” said Abang Johari who called himself Captain of Tok Nan’s Team.
Deputy chief ministers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah and Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minsiter of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Minister of Sports, Youth and Solidarity Dato Sri Michael Manyin and State Secretary Tan Sri Moshidi Abdul Ghani were also present at the meeting.