KUCHING: Stampin MP Datuk Yong Khoon Seng, who is not seeking re-election in the 13th general election, said he had identified three potential candidates to help BN retain the seat.
Yesterday, Yong, who is also Deputy Works Minister, said: “It is too dangerous to give indication (at the moment).”
All he was prepared to say for now was that one of the potential candidates was “young and in his 30s.” He added that the three candidates came from diverse backgrounds, and all of them were Chinese. But Yong declined to reveal their backgrounds.
He ruled out the possibility that a woman candidate would be fielded.
“One of them is young while the other two are in their middle-age. They must be a ‘winnable’ candidate, someone who will be accepted by the people.
“The candidate must be dedicated in serving the community. More importantly, he must be sincere and honest, like I am,” he chuckled, when approached by reporters covering the opening of the Kuching Life Care Society charity food fair at Boulevard Shopping Complex here.
Word from the grapevine is that Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang and newly-minted SUPP vice president Tan Joo Phoi, the former Batu Kawa assemblyman, are the front runners.
The five-term MP, who first won the seat in 1990, said it would greatly sadden him if the candidate failed to retain the constituency.
Nonetheless, he said he could not consider Stampin a `white area’, especially after what had happened in the 10th state election last April.
In that election, SUPP fielded 19 candidates but only six won. It was the worst ever showing by the state’s oldest political party.
“I should say Stampin is considered a ‘grey to black’ area, although I cannot quite explain why.”
The current term of Parliament ends only on April 24, 2013, but soothsayers from the opposition has predicted that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would call for a snap election within the next three months.
Kuching Life Care Society surprised Yong with a birthday cake during the function. The birthday boy turns 70 on Dec 22.