Sim (front) cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of the Pelawan Operation Room. Looking on from left are Lau, Wong and Ting.
SIBU (Oct 3): Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) President Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian hopes the party will win all the four state seats in Sibu in the next state election.
He said this was necessary in order to consolidate the power and position of SUPP in the state government.
“With bigger representatives, we will have a stronger say in the government and rest assure, the people of Sibu will definitely see bigger development coming their way once SUPP wins all the four state seats,” he said at the launching of SUPP Pelawan Operation Room held yesterday morning.
Among those at the function included SUPP Bawang Assan branch chairman Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew, Bukit Assek branch chairman Dato Chieng Buong Toon, Pelawan branch chairman Clarence Ting and Dudong branch chairman Wong Ching Yong.
The four state seats in Sibu that SUPP hope to wrest back in the next state election are Dudong, Bawang Assan, Bukit Assek and Pelawan.
Currently, both Dudong and Bawang Assam assemblyman are Datuk Tiong Thai King and Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, both from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) while the assemblyman of Bukit Assek and Pelawan are Irene Chang and David Wong, both from Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Sim said he was once told that SUPP was already given the mandate to develop Sibu some 20 to 30 years ago, yet nothing much had materialised.
‘That I do not want to argue. But what I would like to reiterate here is that that is the past. Today, I am at the helm, am wearing a yellow T-shirt and I pledge to bring bigger development to Sibu one we can get all those four seats,” he said.
Citing Batu Kawa, Sim said since he was elected as the people’s representative for Batu Kawa, he had approved RM120 million allocations for the improvement of the drainage system in the area.
“Besides, we have also constructed about 1,000 lighting posts in the constituency,, he said, adding the people of Batu Kawa would not have enjoyed such basic infrastructure if they did not chose him.
Sim, who is also Minister of Local Government and Housing, believed Sarawak would become a strong, rich and a powerful state between 2023 and 2025.
He said that was generally the consensus among the people of Sarawak on the future directions of Sarawak.
“As such, we must be in the government so that we can effectively use the money to bring developments to the respective areas,” he said.
He said the Sarawak government was also grateful to the 22-old month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in helping the state government to look for funds.
“Before, the state government has been too dependent on the federal government for funds. However, after PH took over, they withdrew many of the allocations for Sarawak, hence indirectly forcing the state government to source for the funds itself,” he said.
“They even said that we will become bankrupt but all these were proven wrong.”