Abdul Razak (left) hands over the nomination papers to Ching Yong.
SIBU (Nov 11): Wong Ching Yong, who aspires to be Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) candidate for the Dudong constituency, bought his nomination papers from Returning Officer Abdul Razak Abang Bini at Wisma Sanyan yesterday morning.
He is the first from among the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) aspiring candidates to do so, even though the coalition has yet to announce its list of candidates.
If he does stand, among the candidates he would face is incumbent Datuk Tiong Thai King who won the seat as a Barisan Nasional-direct candidate in 2016 but is now a Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) member.
However, there is a possibility that Ching Yong might not be the GPS candidate for Dudong as Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has been moving on the ground in Dudong.
SUPP and PDP are part of GPS, together with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu and Parti Rakyat Sarawak.
Words through the grapevine has it King Sing, who is Bintulu MP, is eyeing the Dudong seat.
GPS has stated it would not allow candidates from its coalition parties to stand against each other in the election.
If King Sing were to insist on contesting in Dudong, the GPS leadership would then have choose between him and Ching Yong.
Responding to the rumour, Ching Yong said anyone can contest in the seat in the coming election.
“I cannot stop anyone from contesting but the thing is whether those from GPS who wanted to stand in the election can use the GPS logo or not… that I am not sure.”
Ching Yong was referring to a recent statement from PDP Dudong branch chairman Teo Boon Siew that the Dudong seat does not belong to any party, in proposing that King Sing be fielded by GPS for the seat.
The proposal ruffled the feathers of SUPP as the Dudong seat has traditionally been contested by the party under the then Barisan Nasional (BN).
“But if PDP wants to contest, I have no right to control them. It is up to the GPS top leadership to decide on this matter,” Ching Yong said.
Ching Yong, who is a SUPP central working committee member, said he expected to see a multi-cornered fight for the seat and is unfazed at the prospect as he has been preparing to the election since 2019.
Having joined SUPP in 1985, he served as deputy publicity chief in SUPP Sibu branch from 1997 until 2000, and was a Sibu Municipal councillor from 1990 to 2000.
In 2017, he became SUPP Dudong branch chairman before being elected as Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) deputy chairman on Aug 1, 2020.
Since becoming deputy chairman, Wong said he had personally met with almost all the Tuai Rumah (headmen) of the 206 longhouses in the constituency.
“I have visited almost all these longhouses before January 2020. As for the rural Chinese area, the Kapitan and Penghulu, we have also arranged dialogues,” he said.
He said the people can judge him based on his performance as SRDC deputy chairman.
On Monday, SUPP president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the party had submitted its list of candidates to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is GPS chairman, comprising seven incumbents and 13 new faces.
In the last state election, Thai King won by a majority of 2,146 votes. He garnered 9,700 votes to beat DAP’s Yap Hoi Liong who polled 7,554 votes while Independent candidate Dato Sri Dr Benny Lim garnered 3,288 votes.
Two other candidates, Casper Kayong Umping and Mary Ting Yiik Hong of STAR, lost their deposits after obtaining just 228 votes and 152 votes, respectively.
Dudong voters comprise 52 per cent Chinese and 48 per cent Bumiputera.
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