PKR’s hopes of contesting in more Chinese dominated urban areas were dashed after DAP refused to concede its claim on Batu Kawah and Dudong.
This has led for PKR with one confirmed seat as far as urban seats are concerned.
Borneo Post also reported that the DAP and PKR have finally agreed on the seats they are going to contest at the upcoming 10th Sarawak State election on April 16. Polling day has been set for April 16.
However, will still have to wait and see whether the central leadership of the parties are able to ease the dissatisfaction of the grassroots.
Thank you Anwar Fadzil for your informations.
Earlier on Monday, March 28, opposition leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, told a press conference after the Pakatan leadership council meeting in Parliament:
Pakatan Rakyat’s Sarawak state leadership has finalised allocation of most of the 71 seats for the upcoming state poll, buat 23 overlapping claims with Sarawak National Party SNAP are still under discussion.
These seats are Ibans majority seats.
SNAP has announced its intention to field 27 candidates to contest in the state election.
PKR’s deputy presiden Azmin Ali confirmed at the same function that the party would be contesting at least 24 seats while discussions on the overlapping 23 seats with SNAP are ongoing.
DAP and PAS, according to Anwar, have been given 15 and 5 seats, respectively. In the 2006 poll, DAP won six out of 12 seats contested – Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Meradong, Bukit Assek, and Kidurong.
Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian told a tabloid newspaper in Petaling Jaya recently: PKR has outlined a set of criteria which they will use to selecet the best candidates to stand for the election.
He admitted that the challenge of wooing rural voters lies in the Opposition’s ability to move them beyond bread-and-butter issues to look at the bigger picture.
He said, the voters have a mindset. But it is an ongoing educational process.
However, land matters wil remain one of the main issues epecially regarding the Chinese voters.
The question of whether land owners who were overcharged on premium for renewal of land leases would get a refund; the claim of takeover of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land; and the grey areas regarding such land will remain a bone of contention.
Sarawak PKR will definitely use such land issues as ammunition against BN in their tussle for votes.
In the 2006 state election, a ‘political mini-tsunami’ resulting from Chinese’s unhappiness over the state government’s land policy, swept the predominantly Chinese urban constituencies. Although winning of 18 seats, but SUPP on the other hand, lost six seats to the DAP.
But, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, as claimed by the state Minister of Enviroment and Public Health Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh, has done a lot for the Chinese community in the state in his 30-year administration.
He said lately “some ill-intentioned people with different political agenda” had twist this fact”.
Bernama quoted DAP state chairman Wong Ho Leng as saying that the party will double the number of its women candidates – one in Sibu and another on in Kuching.
The finalised candidates list will be announced by the top party leaders in the next one or two days.
In the 2006 state election, DAP field two women candidates, Violet Yong in Pending and Ting Tze Fui in Meradong, who both won with big majority against SUPP incumbent candidates.
Yong was the giant killer when she beat Datuk Sim Kheng Hui, who was the state assemblymen for Pending since 1991 and was the assistant minister of culture and urbanisation, with a majority of 4,372 votes.
With that scenario, is BN now be able to prevent more seats going to the opposition, meaning that the party will lose its two-thirds?
Some in the BN camp were not too pleased that the president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) is staying on (to be contested in Balingian) until his successor is ‘ready’.
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