Sim Kian Chiok
SIM Kian Chiok, an exco member of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Kuching branch, shares his thoughts on the coming election and his party’s progress since the last election.
He also answers questions on Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s performance as chief minister and SUPP’s chances in the coming state election.
Q: What is SUPP’s chance in your Padungan area?
SUPP definitely has a good chance to win the voters support in Padungan this time around because most of the Sarawakian issues viciously played up by the opposition before are one by one being resolved by our new leadership, at the highest level we have a new progressive and pragmatic Chief Minister, YAB Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi HjAdenan bin Hj Satem and in our party, we have a new President in YB Senator Datuk Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian.
SUPP’s new young and professional leadership has since the last State election made a clear stand on pertinent issues and I see the public responding to it everyday.
The party’s stand is to protect Sarawakians in accordance to the Malaysian Agreement drafted in 1963 and using that yard-stick in asking for more autonomous powers. Now our Dewan Undangan Negeri recently agreed on this matter and a committee has been set up to discuss and pursue devolution from PutraJaya.
My contention is that we must vote in SUPP so that the people of Padungan will be part of the process not just onlookers. With strong Sarawak BN parties, we can claim more autonomous power through the process of devolution.
With more elected SUPP representatives, Sarawak BN will be stronger to negotiate with Putrajaya, when we are strong and we will have more weight to ask for more. It will show Putrajaya that Sarawakians are united behind Chief Minister Adenan.
The opposition parties in the state are mostly Malayan parties answering to their Malayan bosses, so how would they protect our rights and even give us more power through devolution as they are only the opposition and not the Government of the day?
We need to have a strong BN State Govt to ask for more autonomy from BN Federal Govt.
Only a Sarawakian political party can protect Sarawak better than any Malayan parties as we know our state better.
Any corruption accusation or allegation is not proof of any crime. Even after 8 years and a second term in office after taking over Penang and Selangor, there are no reports against the previous BN states’ minister’s or senior officers. Why?
In Padungan constituency, there is not much improvement as not much development budget was being allocated as we are under the opposition. We all long for more development and improvement to our beloved Kuching. We are lagging behind some other state capitals in Malaya. We want more jobs and business opportunities being created for our children and us. Believe me, in the BN we have ideas to deal with all these issues but the people have to give us the mandate to do it.
By supporting SUPP, we will be able to have more autonomous rights, see more improvement to Kuching, have better prospects for us and our children, and a more integrated, harmonious and peaceful Kuching.
Would you accept to stand if you are nominated the candidate again?
I have always been in Kuching and have not left my area since the last state election. The voters’ requests and problems are similar and have been quickly resolved by our party because we are part of the Govt.
Whether I am nominated as a candidate or not, is not important. What is important is that when my party requires me to serve the people faithfully, I am ready to serve if so required by my party.
In serving our people whose problems and wishes are always changing with time and circumstances beyond our control, we have to always change our policies and law accordingly. We have a new chief minister who is sensitive and ever ready to solve as much of the people’s problems, as evidenced with his over 45 policies in less than two years. We should support him and give him a chance through voting SUPP and BN.