KUCHING: Why would Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg opt to contest the Gedong seat instead of defending his bastion of Satok?
If at all it comes to that it certainly won’t be because of a lack of confidence in retaining the Satok seat which he has represented for 40 years.
All things considered his credentials, also that he is Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman and the caretaker chief minister, put him in good stead for yet another thumping win in Satok.
But the guessing game has begun.
The way political analyst Prof Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman sees it, any shift by Abang Johari to Gedong would probably be to bring about an accelerated pace of development in the area.
And he feels Abang Johari would win handsomely and retain the seat, now held by for GPS by Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, who on Wednesday expressed a willingness to make way for the coalition chief.
“However, it is still very difficult for us to say if he is going to shift from Satok to Gedong.
“But, I believe that if he ever makes that kind of decision, he would have thought about it wisely and probably because he wants to make sure that he can contribute more to Gedong,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
Ultimately Abang Johari would be thinking about the people more than anything else in arriving at a decision, he said.
Mohd Fadzil also believed that Abang Johari would win handsomely should he stand in Gedong.
“Thus far, GPS has proven through its incumbent that they are able to retain the seat for many years.
“So, I believe the presence of the chief minister there will be overwhelming and I think the response will be very good especially from the people,” he added.
Earlier, at the ground-breaking ceremony of the road from Lubok Teranggas to Gedong at Dewan Terbuka Gedong, Naroden said he was willing to make way for Abang Johari to contest in Gedong.
In response to that, Abang Johari said he would consider the matter and make a decision when the time comes.
Born in Limbang on Aug 4, 1950, Abang Johari, who has a Masters in Business Management from Brunel University in the United Kingdom entered politics in 1977 as a Parti Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB) youth leader and has represented Satok constituency since he won the seat in 1981.
He retained the seat in the 2016 state election, polling 6,854 votes to beat his PKR rival Mohammad Salleh Shawkatali, by a convincing 5,045-vote majority.
Meanwhile, Naroden, was the Simunjan assemblyman for five terms since 1991 before he was elected as the Gedong assemblyman after the seat was created for the 11th State Election in 2016.
