SIBU: Lanang Member of Parliament Alice Lau declined to speculate on whether she would be defending her seat in the coming general election.
The one-term MP said the decision on whether she will be the candidate for Lanang was in the hands of Democratic Action Party (DAP) state chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
“Normally the candidacy will only be announced by the (DAP) state chairman (Chong Chieng Jen) after Parliament is dissolved. It (the list of candidates) will only be finalised after negotiations (with other Pakatan Harapan component parties) and so on.
“So I can’t announce anything. I also don’t know (about my candidacy). We have not received our (surat) watikah (authorisation letter),” she told reporters during her open house on the first day of Chinese New Year.
Lau defeated five-term Lanang MP Datuk Tiong Thai King to capture the seat for DAP in the last general election.
On whether the DAP still maintained its support in Bukit Assek and Dudong, which make up the Lanang parliamentary seat, she said she could not really tell as “voters are spread out all over the place.”
Citing Sibu Jaya as an example, she said most of the voters are not from Lanang, but from Pelawan and Bawang Assan areas.
“Voters from Ulu Sungai Merah area might not vote in Nangka; they might cast their votes in Bukit Assek.
“So I can’t really tell you how is the response (for DAP). In fact, if you go anywhere, it is almost the same (situation) as voters are no longer confined to a certain area,” she said.
On the DAP’s chance to retain Lanang this time around, Lau said: “We can’t really tell, but I hope we can get the people’s support. We will do our best.”
In the last general election, Lau garnered 26,613 votes to defeat Tiong in a straight fight, winning with a majority of 8,630 votes.