List finalised after meeting with prime minister to be revealed by Taib
ROUSING WELCOME: Taib (left) and his wife Puan Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib (right) receive big cheers and applause from the crowd as they arrive at the Sejiwa Senada programme. On hand to welcome them is Housing and Urban Development Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg (centre).
KUCHING: The Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud who is also the chairman of the state Barisan Nasional (BN)will announce the list of all 71 Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates for the 10th State election at 3pm, today .
The official list, to be announced at PBB headquarters at Jalan Bako near here, was finalised following a meeting between Taib and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the latter’s office at Bangunan Perdana Putra in Putrajaya on Friday.
Taib was accompanied to the meeting by presidents of the State BN component parties namely Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri Dr James Masing.
The meeting, which was reported to have lasted about three hours, was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Tunggu esok (wait till tomorrow). I will announce it tomorrow at 3 o’clock at PBB headquarters. I will introduce all the candidates,” said Taib to reporters when met after officiating at the final stop of the ‘Sejiwa Senada’ programme at Taman Sukma, Petra Jaya near here yesterday.
The announcement should end all speculations over the candidacy of certain seats, most notably the fate of Assistant Social Development and Urbanisation (Youth Affairs and Training of Youth) Minister Larry Sng the Pelagus incumbent.
The sacking of Sng by PRS which rendered him partyless had complicated the BN seats allocation as his former party is adamant that he could stand under BN banner in Pelagus.
To solve the problem several suggestions had been put forward including seat swaps which would allow Sng to defend his seat but all these had been ruled out by PRS president Masing who remained steadfast that Sng could not stand in Pelagus as BN candidate.
Another proposal was for Sng to defend his Pelagus seat contesting as a direct BN candidate but the prime minister had rejected the idea.
There were also suggestions for Sng to stand in Meradong under SUPP banner and for him to stand as an SPDP candidate in Meluan.
However, Sng himself had brushed aside such speculations.
However, there is still hope that Sng could stand in the coming election as on Tuesday, Taib revealed that SUPP would be fielding at least 30 per cent new faces and rumour has it that Sng might be on the list.
Out of the 19 seats allocated to SUPP, candidates for three seats namely Padungan, Meradong and Dudong have yet to be decided.
It was speculated that Padungan might be contested by non SUPP members namely Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor James Chan.
As for Dudong, it was stated that its incumbent Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck might be replaced by Lanang MP and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King.
Among the new faces that had been endorsed at the party’s central working committee meeting recently were Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian (Pending), Youth chief Sih Hua Tong (Batu Lintang) and Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developer’s Association (Sheda) secretary general Sim Kiang Chiok for Padungan.
BN’s backbone party PBB would certainly see at least nine new faces following announcement by its incumbents to not defend their seats.
Among those who have publicly announced that they would not be contesting are Datuk Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen (Demak Laut), Frederick Bayoi Manggie (Kedup), Dr Wahbi Junaidi (Saribas), Simoi Peri (Lingga), Bolhassan Di (Beting Maro), Datuk Wan Wahab Wan Sanusi (Sadong Jaya), Lihan Jok (Telang Usan), Awang Bemee Ali Basah (Nangka) and Datuk Aidan Wing (Lambir).