KUCHING, April 8 – The opposition Sarawak Workers Party (SWP), which has confirmed plans to challenge Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) in all its six parlimentary seats, is delaying the announcement of its remaining three candidates in the 13th general election, its president Larry Sng Wei Shien(Pic) said today.
In denying that SWP was practising the “politics of vendetta,” he, however, said it would be an uphill task for his party to unseat PRS in the parliamentary seats of Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Kanowit, Selangau, Julau and Hulu Rajang without the support of the people on the ground.
“Because parliament has only just recently dissolved and the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat have yet to announce all their candidates so it is only natural that we take our time to assess the situation on the ground in announcing our candidates at the right place and right time,” he told reporters at the launch of the SWP manifesto here.
SWP, which is contesting in the general election for the first time, has yet to announce its candidates in Kanowit, Selangau and Sri Aman, fueling speculation that certain names were being withheld due to reports of mass resignation by SWP members in PRS-held areas. It was earlier hinted that a university lecturer and part-time Iban recording artiste, Ellison Ludan Muyaan might be the SWP candidate for Kanowit to take on incumbent Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang if he is re-nominated by BN to defend the seat.
Former Bukit Begunan assemblyman Donald Lawan, meanwhile, denied he would be SWP’s choice for the Sri Aman seat as he has always been a BN man and would rather be a PRS canddiate if asked to contest after two other names were dropped from the SWP list of potential candidates.
Sng said SWP had, so far, announced that its deputy president George Lagong, who is also Pelagus state assemblyman, would stand in the Hulu Rajang seat, vice-president Wong Judat in Julau and himself in Lubok Antu. In the constituency of Lubok Antu, Sng is likely to challenge PRS incumbent William Nyallau Badak and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Nicholas Bawing, whose candidacy was announced last week, in a three-corner tussle.
Except for Hulu Rajang, where new face Wilson Ugak Kumbong has been nominated to replace incumbent Datuk Billy Abit Joo, PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing had said all its incumbents, including Datuk Joseph Salang in Julau, Masir Kujat (Sri Aman), Nyallau (Lubok Antu), Ago Dagang (Kanowit) and Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun (Selangau) would be retained.
On the manifesto, Sng believed that the people, especially in the rural areas, would give SWP a chance to represent them in the next five years because of its election pledges, which included free higher education for families earning below RM2,500 per month and increasing the number of Dayak and Chinese into the federal civil service by 50 percent from the current level.
BERNAMA
