Chong Chieng Jen
KUCHING (Aug 10): Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen has claimed that Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) is eyeing the Sibu parliamentary seat currently held by its two-term MP Oscar Ling.
Responding to the seat negotiation stalemate with PSB, Chong said the 15th general election (GE15) is expected be held in a few months’ time and that looking at Sarawak politics, an incumbent would normally stand a better chance to win in an election than a newcomer.
“It is definitely not the time to put up a newcomer to face off against the might of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) machinery, what more when PSB has not even disclosed who that newcomer will be,” he said in a statement.
Chong also said it did not make ‘good political sense’ why PSB president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh had been adamant that DAP give up its Sibu parliamentary seat by dropping Ling to make way for a yet-to-be-decided candidate from PSB.
He was responding to Wong who on Monday said talks between the two parties had ended due to DAP’s unwillingness to give up at least one of their incumbent seats.
Chong said for DAP to give up its Sibu parliamentary seat to a newcomer from PSB would increase the GPS candidate’s chance of winning the seat, more so with GE15 seemingly just around the corner.
“That should not be the aim of cooperation amongst the Opposition parties, unless Wong has other agendas up his sleeve,” he added.
Chong, who is Stampin MP, also said it was very misleading for PSB to accuse DAP of not wanting to give up a single seat.
He pointed out there were 23 parliamentary seats in Sarawak that were currently held by GPS MPs or pro-government MPs, some of which DAP had contested unsuccessfully in the 2018 general election.
“We are more than willing to give up some of those seats to other Opposition parties, including PSB, to contest to increase the Opposition’s chance of winning more seats in the coming GE15,” he added.
Furthermore, aside from the winnability factor of a candidate, Chong said a more important factor that the voters were concerned about was the integrity and the principle of a candidate fielded in those seats.
He said all DAP MPs nationwide had proven to have withstood all temptations, prosecutions and stood firm against all odds over the past years following the fall of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.
“Such integrity factor will be more important in the coming GE15 given that in the new political landscape, no single party or coalition is likely to win the majority of the parliamentary seats.”
He opined there would even be a lot of negotiations and even personal enticement post-election.
Therefore, Chong said DAP Sarawak would strive to win as many seats as possible in GE15 to strengthen their chances of rebuilding the country and the economy on the basis of good governance, equality and fairness.